Such Small Hands
by sincerely-jessy
Summary: Hikaru and Kaoru are very different people. But the one thing they share in common is their past. On their 16th birthday, they learn a secret that takes them and the Host Club on a trip to America to discover the truth, and they meet people along the way.
1. Patchwork People

"_I think I saw you in my sleep, darling. I think I saw you in my dreams. You were stitching up the seams of every broken promise that your body couldn't keep. I think I saw you in my sleep."_

_-La Dispute_

* * *

><p>Kaoru was having that nightmare again. In this nightmare there is a man with eyes like fire and a voice like ice. In this nightmare there is also another man, but this man looks weaker. The scary man is arguing with the weak one, but Kaoru can't understand a word they're saying. He just knows that the scary man is angry, so angry and so full of something akin to wickedness, yet not quite so.<p>

All of a sudden, the scary man makes eye-contact with him, as if noticing he were in the room for the first time. He begins to come towards Kaoru, and all Kaoru can do is shrink in fear, because for some reason his legs don't work. The weak man attempts to fight him off, but is knocked to the ground.

Sickly scarred hands begin to reach for him, and Kaoru ends up backing himself into a wall.

Yet he always wakes up just before they take him away.

This time, he was awoken by Hikaru bitching once again.

"If one of your…"_friends" _feel me up one more time, I'm definitely calling the police. _Groping against one's will _is illegal, and it's about time they knew that." Hikaru was threatening. He and Kaoru had just celebrated their sweet sixteen that night.

"You mean Kenji? He probably thought it was me, or something. You know he can't tell us apart." was Kaoru's defense. It was _always _Kaoru's defense.

"What? Is his gay-dar broken or something?" Hikaru retorted slyly.

A few moments later Hikaru was sitting in the hallway, leaning against the outside of his bedroom door, with a bruise on his left temple. Kaoru had locked him out.

Hikaru didn't mind, though. The ground was rather comfortable compared to the sound of Kaoru having a nightmare—"Don't let him get me! Oh my God, he's coming!"— Or even the sound of the gay accusations.

What people didn't seem to realize is that the twins weren't connected by some chain of fate, or something.

The fact remained that, just because one is gay, doesn't mean the other is. And no, they are not gay for each other, thank you very much. Although, there was that one time…

Anyway, those were the facts. Kaoru was the homosexual, and Hikaru was the heterosexual. Of course, that often put the two in awkward positions, because although they did _not_ share the same sexuality, they indeed shared the same face.

If Hikaru had a dime for every time one of Kaoru's past boyfriends felt him up or made a pass at him, he'd be rich. Well, at least rich_er_.

_But that won't be a problem much longer_, he reminded himself as he prepared to sleep for three more hours. Because starting the next day, he would be officially sixteen.

* * *

><p>"I'll kill you." whispered Zebra (her name pronounced in the abstract fashion) to Quill ( his name said in the voice of a frat boy who's had too much to drink. Always.)<p>

Quill smiled one of his cheekiest grins before running out of the apartment building and dashing towards the elevator. But upon arriving he discovered it had an "out of order" sign hanging on it. Desperate, he took to the stairs, running down them about three at a time before he reached the bottom. He heard heavy breathing and just knew Zebra was behind him.

"You twat!" she shrieked, still in her towel. She had just came out of the shower when she was ambushed and was pounding down the stairs at a speed unhealthy for one of her…um…voluptuous stature.

Quill had already made it to the lobby, in which he bumped into the doorman, Mr. Chambers.

"Sir, if the lady asks, you haven't seen me." Quill said between breaths.

Mr. Chambers raised an eyebrow at him, and then Quill slipped him a ten dollar bill. Smiling, Mr. Chambers gave his word.

"Listen, Mr. Chambers. Before I go I just have to say, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." said Quill to the doorman.

"And like-wise, young man. Now, she's coming. God speed."

And that's how Quill Wright made it off with Zebrah Johnson's suit case. Because he'd be damned if he spent another day in Wales. They were taking their asses to America whether she liked it or not.

Quill was an activist. And Wales must have been the laziest place he's ever lived. _Nothing _happens in Wales. And somehow Zebra had managed to convince him to go with her, and it was his duty as her best friend/translator. How he came to be her translator is another story.

The point was, he'd been there for a month, and already had enough.

He flipped out his phone, and called his friend/assistant/flat-mate, Bernadette, "Take your suitcase and meet me at the airport!"

"Are we running away together? Oh my, Quill, this is just so sudden." she gushed jokingly.

"I'm serious. I have all of my and Zebra's stuff. You packed last night, right?" asked Quill as he looked up the number for a taxi service.

"Yes. How'd you get Zee to pack?" she asked.

"I locked her in the shower room while I packed her things." Quill answered.

"Everything?" she said.

"Yes, yes!" was his reply.

"So, does that mean you touched her panties?" questioned Bernadette innocently, and Quill made gagging sounds accordingly.

"Grow up." he whined before hanging up and dialing the taxi service.

This little adventure was over. He'd seen Wales, and hadn't liked it. Now, it was time for Quill to return to America, where he could effectively combat the government by organizing peace walks and rallies. That was his job.

Zebra had coined him as a hippie, and he had more or less agreed.

* * *

><p>Hikaru made his way down to the kitchen, where an extravagant breakfast was being set up by the maids. He had invited the host club over for breakfast as well, since he was tired of the lack of company. Sure, he had Kaoru, but the two of them were growing more and more distant. And his parents rarely attended breakfast.<p>

That's why as he wedged himself in a seat between Haruhi and Mori, he was surprised when his mother made her way down the steps in her silk robe.

"Mother! What are you doing here?" he questioned as she made her way to the table.

"I figured I'd enjoy breakfast with _my_ two _darling_ boys." she said, but her voice sounded off. She said the sentence as if meaning to prove something.

"Where's dad then?" Kaoru questioned as he took a seat.

"He…couldn't make it." was their mother's response. She sounded regretful, but then all of a sudden turned cheery.

"So, these are your friends! You guys run that Host Club together, right?" she questioned. Then she looked to Kyoya, "Oh, I remember you! We've talked on the phone!"

Kyoya nodded, "It's always a pleasure, Mrs. Hitachiian."

Hikaru and Kaoru gaped at Kyoya.

"I hate to sound rude, but, I was hoping we would…eat brunch as a family. But, it's not as if I mind the company of all of your wonderful friends!" she smiled at them once again.

Hikaru was being oblivious as usual, and simply dismissed his mother's weird behavior. But Kaoru simply knew that his mother had wanted to tell him something. And, deep down in the darkest crevices of his brain, somewhere behind the corner he's neglected for years, he knew exactly what she had to say.

"Will you excuse us?" he said to his friends, before he and his mother left the room. After they made it into the hall, Kaoru realized Hikaru hadn't followed him. Angry, he stormed back into the dining hall and grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"_What_?" Hikaru asked, getting ready to curse his brother out, yet he stopped once he noticed the look on his mother's face.

"You two know how much I love you, right? And even though I'm not around a lot, I cherish the moments we're together. And that no matter what happens, we'll always be a family, right?" their mother started.

Hikaru was still clueless, but Kaoru simply _knew_.

"Your father was against me telling you, but I'm sure you two are old enough to handle it." she continued.

"What are you getting at?" Hikaru said moodily, "I'm starving."

"I'm saying that, you two will always be my sons, just not….biologically."

"I'm not following you…" said Hikaru. Kaoru saw right through his act. He was playing dumb, but he knew exactly what she was saying.

"You're not of my DNA." she clarified, but Hikaru was still acting thick.

He began to laugh, "What are you saying? Good one, mom."

Hikaru did not want to believe it, and therefore refuted it entirely. Kaoru couldn't help but think he's never seen anything so saddening in a while.

"She's not joking, Hikaru. We're adopted. Don't act so surprised. Deep down we've always known." Kaoru said to his brother, putting a hand over his shoulder. Hikaru shoved it off.

"Maybe _you _knew. But I didn't. And-and you!" he turned to his the woman that was not his mother any longer, "You've lied to me all these years."

"Hikaru…" she started, sounding disappointed.

"No! I don't want to hear it. But we certainly agree about one thing: You're no mother of mine." and with that last sentiment he grabbed his parka and headed out of the front door, without breakfast.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we're heading back to <em>America<em>." Zebra mumbled to herself as she found her seat in coach.

"Believe it. It was either America or Japan. Those are the only two places with schools that offered me scholarships. And we all know I can't speak Japanese." said Quill.

Yes, Quill Wright had a full-ride scholarship to Ouran Academy for his excellent accomplishments in charity work and journalism. But he'd been to Japan before, and didn't like it.

"But there were schools in _Wales_! Perfectly _nice _schools with perfectly _nice_ teachers." argued Zebra.

"Nice is another way of saying boring." was his continued argument, "Right, Bernadette?"

"He does have a point, Zee…" she mused.

"If you didn't want to go so much, you could have just stayed." argued Quill smugly. Although he knew how difficult he made that option for her.

"Whatever. You're just lucky my mom won't allow me to stay in foreign places by myself, and that she has some kind of weird old lady crush on you." Zebra said to Quill.

Quill sighed. Zebra was a traveller. Her point of origin was Bath, a city in England. That's right. She was full-on British. But the amount of years she's ever spent in her home town can be counted on one hand.

In fact, that's how the two met. Quill, the trickster American, and Zebra, the head-strong Brit had met as a result of a prank about three years ago.

"Ma'am, it sounds to me as if you're from England." he observed when they first met. She was attending one of the pep rallies that Quill had organized simply to observe. She was studying journalism as well.

"That's correct. This is my first time in America. I'm attending Middlebrook High school starting this fall."

"That's perfect! Because I'm a student there." he told her.

"That's great. Maybe I'll see you around." she countered with a grin. Her smile was accented by bright green braces, which she still had.

Just before she was getting ready to leave, Quill had muttered something really odd.

" I'm also the school's designated translator." he explained, "Just call me whenever you need a translator. I speak four languages: American, British, and Mexican."

He even handed her a card.

"Those aren't _languages_. And you only said three." she said pointedly. She had already gathered that he wasn't a translator at all.

But by then he had already grabbed a sign and disappeared into the crowd, yelling something similar to, "No wars, you whores!"

It was friendship at first sight.

* * *

><p>Kaoru, emotionally exhausted, made his way back to the table, and was greeted by a cold breakfast and sympathy-stricken faces.<p>

"I guess you heard." Kaoru announced to everyone and no one.

"Every word." Haruhi answered. She moved around the table and wrapped her arms around Kaoru, "It doesn't change a thing. You know that, don't you?"

"I do. Plus, it was so obvious. No one in our family has bright orange hair. But it caught Hikaru off-guard."

"I'll go after him." Tamaki and Kyoya said simultaneously. They all looked at Kyoya, surprised. Rarely did the Shadow King ever show anything close to compassion.

"We'll both go." Tamaki agreed. They both grabbed their coats and went to find the lost boy.

* * *

><p>Zebra got bored on the plane ride, so she closed her eyes and dreamed. It was the same one as usual. The one with the badly scarred man, whose voice made her shiver and who's eyes were always furious. And those terrible <em>hands<em>. Scarred. Patch-work people.

She awoke with a start. Quill was there when she woke up, and he whispered, "Another nightmare?"

She nodded.

"Maybe you should see someone about them. I'm a psychologist, you know." he reminded her.

"Just like you were a translator?" she quipped. He smiled in return.

"You're not a psychologist?" Bernadette asked in all seriousness, but by that time the flight-attendant had shushed the three of them.

It didn't matter how much she travelled. The nightmares found her no matter what bed she slept in.

* * *

><p>Hikaru was sitting on a park bench, holding a cup of coffee, and staring at the clouds. He'd let himself get lost in them, if that's what it took. He'd stare at the clouds for the rest of his life if that meant not dealing with…with…<p>

"Hikaru." a voice called. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh before answering, never allowing himself to face anything but the sky.

"Yes." he breathed.

"Are you alright?" a different voice asked. Kyoya. That made Hikaru grin. Kyoya Ootori actually gave a flying fuck about someone else for once.

"I'm _grand_." he lied, but so convincingly, "I've never felt greater in ages. I'm the big one six!"

Kyoya began to get annoyed, "That's _not _what we're talking ab-" but Tamaki calmed him down. Kyoya wasn't used to dealing with upset people, and could sometimes be a little insensitive.

"What he means is, how are you feeling about the news?" Tamaki elaborated.

"What news? I have no idea what you're talking about." Hikaru said pointedly, eyes opened now but still looking at the clouds.

"The news that you were adop-" Kyoya continued despite Tamaki's complaints.

"_I don't know what you're talking about!_" Hikaru stressed before taking a deep breath and finally looking at them, "Now, you can either look at the clouds with me, or leave."

Tamaki and Kyoya sat on either side of Hikaru, cocooning him. Hikaru then spent the rest of their time pointing out shapes in the sky, and smiling when they agreed—"yes, you're right. That' definitely is a hare."—and keeping his mind off of other things.

Altogether, it was a good day.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**Success! I finally found the time to write this first chapter. The idea just took me over and I _knew _I had to write it. I've only ever written a story focusing mostly on Tamaki, so it'll definitely be fun centering everything on the twins for once. If things seem confusing, they'll definitely be cleared up soon enough.

Thanks for reading! This was a big leap for me, and I'm glad I got to share it with you.

Sincerely,

Your New Bestfriend.


	2. Seven Shade Nightclub

"You'll fit in this dress if it's the last thing you do!" Quill declared. The three of them had arrived in Maine, and were only able to afford one hotel room. So, Bernadette took the couch while Quill took the bed. And let's face it. Zebra doesn't sleep at all.

"I can't! It's too small. Plus, if you had told me we were going to a fancy event I would have bought a dress in _my size_." Zebra complained.

Bernadette, who was occupying herself by sucking on a lollipop, took it out of her mouth to put in her two cents, "If he didn't tell you we were headed to America, why in hells bells would he tell you that we're going to a party?"

Zebra replied by growling.

Quill, being the social disgrace he was, heard that the mayor of Maine was having a party. He got all of his friends in that area to get ready, because he was going to crash it.

"Just stop talking and work on dropping fifteen pounds in the next ten minutes!" Quill said.

"Why don't we just buy a dress?" she asked.

"His account balance is dangerously low, and he's on a budget." replied Bernadette.

Bernadette was Quill's brain. He was the passion that came up with the schemes, and she was the smarts that executed it with grace.

"Have I told you I love you yet?" Quill said to Bernadette jokingly, to which she replied with the following:

"Every hour, on the hour."

And so after a very painful hour spent stuffing Zebra's love handles into a corset, the trio set off to crash a party.

Although their parents thought they were looking into schools. Pfffft. Stupid procreators.

* * *

><p>"How'd it go with Hikaru yesterday?" Haruhi asked, as they all sat down in the Host Club room, sans one of the twins.<p>

"I can't say. He kept avoiding the subject." Tamaki responded.

"He's just batshit crazy." said Kyoya.

"Thanks for that diagnosis, Dr. Ootori." he replied sarcastically.

At this point Kaoru had been checked out of the conversation, yet once he heard the word _crazy _he sympathized.

"No, Kyoya's right. Something is definitely off. He couldn't get to sleep last night so he decided to look out of the window. When I woke up he was in the same spot. I think that's why he stayed home." Kaoru said.

"Maybe he just had a nightmare." Honey deduced.

_No, _Kaoru wanted to say, _He didn't. I'm the one with the nightmares, and he's the one with all the dreams._

"I think that you all need to just stay out of it. It's his way of coping, and if he feels that everyone is watching him it may take him longer to recover. So, leave him be. Let him grow at his own pace. I watched pot never boils." said Mori.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at him.

"Wow." Haruhi voiced.

Honey began to clap violently as if Mori had just made the speech of the century. Everyone followed suite.

_There. Now I won't be expected to talk again for the rest of the year, _Mori thought happily, and began to take a nap.

* * *

><p>"Run, bitch, ruuuuun!" Quill yelled as he scooped Bernadette up in his arms and left Zebra to fend for herself. His excuse later on would be that Bernadette was the weight of a blue bird while Zebra was…well…the weight of a Zebra.<p>

"Quill Bodhi Wright! I'll have your head for this!" Zebra yelled as she trailed behind the two.

Bernadette, meanwhile, began to get woozy in Quill's arms. She had just ate and wasn't prepared for this kind of movement.

Just as Zebra rounded the corner she heard a loud rip. Great, her dress had ripped in the wrong spot and her backside was now available for the world to see.

The three of them were so wasted it wasn't even laughable, and they hid in a bush to hide from a cop car. It was a particularly cold night, and the cops decided to park in front of the bush for a good half hour before driving off.

As soon as they were sure the cop cars were out of sight Zebra took this as her cue to give Quill a lecture.

"Never again." she settled on saying. She was too out of breath.

"Well, of course I'm never doing that again! I'm probably not allowed back in Maine anyhow."

"That's…not what I meant." she said, still breathing unevenly.

"I think she meant that you should never interrupt a mayor's party again with a group of friends, yelling, 'Politicians hold suspicion.' repeatedly until they used a Taser on half of us and chased the other half outside." Bernadette elaborated.

"Oh! If that's what she meant, then I lied. I'll definitely be doing that again." he said.

Zebra simply groaned.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to get back on track and pick up that RV. Your interviews are in a two days, and it just so happens we're in the wrong state." Bernadette said.

"Right you are! Now, Zebra, dear, don't dawdle. We're heading towards adventure and your kind of cramping my style."

By then Zebra wasn't listening, because she had collapsed in exhaustion, face-down in the mud.

"Now, when she wakes up she'll be fixing to injure one of us. I vote you. All in favor?" Quill asked Bernadette.

After he discovered he was the only one to raise his hand, he quickly added, "And my vote counts as five, so…yeah."

* * *

><p>Hikaru had spent the day at home, on his computer. And yes, his pants were up. He was doing research. He finally realized that his curiosity over-powered his malice, because he began to speak to his mother again. He discovered that his birth name was Taylor Spector, and that he was given up for adoption at the age of thirteen months.<p>

He thought that was odd. Who on earth would keep a baby for so long, only to let it go?

Kaoru's name had been Kyle Spector. But that's not where it got weird.

The weird part was that Kaoru wasn't given up for adoption until he was eighteen months. Luckily, Hikaru wasn't adopted yet, and the two of them were reunited.

How much difference could a mere five months establish?

A lot, apparently. That would explain…well, everything.

"Do you understand how crazy you sound right now?" Kaoru asked, "Why can't you just let it go? What's done is done."

Hikaru looked at his brother, knowingly, "You're afraid if we dig around you'll discover what your nightmares are all about."

Kaoru felt betrayed, somehow. The two had made a wordless pact not to mention the nightmares outside of their bedroom.

"Everyone has nightmares…" Kaoru said, looking down.

"Not like yours." Hikaru countered.

Kaoru sighed and turned to his brother. He saw Hikaru's hopeful face and knew that he couldn't let him down. He didn't exactly want to go searching for the source of his nightmares. Plus, Hikaru had always been the more emotionally unstable of the two of them, and he didn't feel like pushing him over the edge today.

"Fine. We'll find out more. Just tell me what I need to do." Kaoru said finally.

"Not much. Just, come with me to America." Hikaru said.

Kaoru laughed nervously.

"You can't be serious!" he exclaimed.

"Ohhh, deadly so, little brother. You and I are headed to America. Scared?" Hikaru challenged.

"N-No! In fact, I bet I can get there faster than you can." Kaoru said before he realized just exactly what his brother just pulled.

"Several years later and that trick _still _works on you." Hikaru said in perfect English.

"Wow! You've been perfecting your accent, I see." Kaoru said.

"To be honest, I've been hoping to visit America for a while. Just not like this."

Kaoru understood. So, he proposed an idea. The next day, at the Host Club, they'd all take a vote on it. If it was voted that the two of them go to America, then it would happen. If it wasn't, then it obviously was not meant to be.

* * *

><p><em><strong>13 hours later<strong>_

"Who likes the idea of Hikaru and I going to America?" Kaoru asked. No one raised their hand.

"And who likes the idea of Kaoru and I staying here?" Hikaru asked nervously. Again, no one raised their hand.

"Bullshit. You have to vote for something." the two said simultaneously. As different as they were, they still had the occasional twin moment.

"Who likes the idea of the whole Host Club heading to America and settling this matter once and for all?" Tamaki asked.

Everyone raised their hand. Kaoru pissed himself while Hikaru "aha!"-d with triumph.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Sherman. Nice day we're having, aye?" Quill asked. Sherman simply nodded, since his mouth was preoccupied with sucking the life out of that cigar of his, and puffing the smoke into Quill's face repeatedly.<p>

"Is this our RV? Great, I'll just check it out." Quill said.

"No, siree bob. I need the money upfront." said Sherman.

Quill paid the man and watched as he took off at an ungodly speed. He got the vague feeling he had just been duped, but wasn't one hundred and ten percent sure yet.

"Check the vehicle for me, will you, love?" Quill asked Zebra.

Zebra went into the van, and a few moments later there was a shriek.

Heartbeat racing, the other two teens made their way into the RV, expecting the worse.

Quill was greeted by the sight of a great…_huge—_

"Is that what I think it is?" Bernadette questioned as she stepped to look at it closer.

"Yes. It's exactly what you think it is."

—body bag.

"We have to report this to the police!" Zebra insisted.

"No, we mustn't! I'm wanted by the cops in Maine." Quill reminded her. He was freaking out. He had no clue what to do.

"I know how to dispose of a body." Bernadette voiced. The two of them stared at her.

"Um…let's just leave it here." he reasoned after a moment of contemplating silence.

So, that's how the three of them ended up lugging a body out of their RV and onto the ground. In broad daylight. Let it be someone else's problem, they figured.

After they were done with the work, Bernadette figured it warranted a withdrawal from their accounts to fund some pizza.

* * *

><p>"You're not going to America." was Hikaru's mother's reaction. She had closed off to the idea before he even finished mentioning it. And that made him all the more curious.<p>

So, logically, he decided to pack his things anyway, steal his mother's credit card (he had memorized her signature and account numbers at the age of four) and buy tickets anyway. Of course, his mood was extraordinarily dampened by the fact that Kaoru was whining about the whole thing.

In the end, it only took two words to convince him, and those words would be the following: Cute. Boys.

So, before their mother could blink three times they were at the airport, while she thought they were visiting Haruhi's house.

"Don't you think lying to your mom is irresponsible?" Haruhi questioned.

"Yes. Yes, I do." Hikaru admitted, "But when has that ever stopped me before?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Nine Hours Later<strong>_

A very exhausted Zebra, as well as Quill and Bernadette made it to New York City. The drive would have been shorter if it hadn't been for traffic, and Zebra's need to piss every fifteen minutes. They put together their money to rent a van as well, while they parked the RV in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

"I have a plan! How about we actually do what our parents think we're doing, for once?" Zebra questioned, "Because I know my Mom would never let me travel if she didn't think you were a responsible role model."

"Chill out, Zee. We're heading to those stupid school interviews first, and _then _the fun begins." he declared in an ominous voice.

"So, you might want to change. That dress is ripped in way that isn't so flattering. And you too, Quill. White is sooo not your color." the Brain reminded both of them. Completely embarrassed, Zebra stormed off. Even Quill looked a little flustered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Seven Hours Later<strong>_

"_America, America, God shed his grace on theeeeee_…" Honey sang, and his voice was incredibly off key.

"My English no so good." Mori said in broken English.

"Like that's actually an _issue_." Kyoya said in a snarky manner.

Hikaru began to look over his information as Mori continued to drive, considering he was the only one of them with an actual license, albeit Japanese.

"So, according to Google, Paul Spector owned some sort of night club. We're nearing it now." Hikaru announced out loud. Thank God for GPS.

It seemed as if the group noticed their surroundings for the first time. They weren't exactly in the best neighborhood. This was nothing like they were used to.

Grown up in a very neat, clean-cut world, it was a new thing to be surrounded by drug addicts and prostitutes. The night crawlers. The street-dwellers.

This didn't help to boost the twins' confidence. If this place was their point of origin, then they were nothing more than paupers dressed in the clothes of a prince.

It seemed that being in their trance, they almost went past the street.

"Stop, stop! We're here." Hikaru announced. The car grew quiet.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Haruhi asked.

"No. This is a moment for Kaoru and I. Right Kaoru?" Hikaru said. But as he turned around he discovered the blasted boy had fallen asleep listening to music.

Sighing, Hikaru went out of the car on his own. Fuck it. If no one else cared he wouldn't make them.

* * *

><p>The interview had completely drained every ounce of youth out of Quill, so he saw it as his duty to reclaim it.<p>

"Drop me off in the druggy district, my lovelies! I'll just hang out there for a bit." he said, and as soon as Bernadette began to trail behind him, he clarified, "Alone. I'm sorry, B, but you need to watch out for Zebra while I'm gone."

Quill liked hanging out with misfits. It made him feel better about himself.

Feeling slightly abandoned, she sat back in the car. The two watched as Quill walked away, and as soon as he turned a corner Zebra took the wheel.

"I'm going to drive around a bit. I hope you don't mind." Zebra said.

"Not at all." Bernadette reasoned, as she took a seat in the far back and drowned herself in words and numbers.

* * *

><p>It took a few moments of Quill wandering for him to find what he was looking for. What he saw was a completely stunning girl, in barely any clothes at all. She was also devastatingly young, and this made Quill sad beyond words.<p>

"Hiya." he approached the young girl with caution, hoping not to scare her.

"Hey. Listen, I'm done for the day-" the girl started, but Quill interrupted her.

"Oh, you think I'm…looking for…" he began to laugh, "Oh God, I wish I were that normal. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

And so they sat, and Quill asked a few nonsensical questions at first, such as: What's your favorite color? Favorite type of music?

And she was so much kinder than people he'd met in the past. She was so ready to answer each question. So willing. He guessed she had been feeling lonely, too.

And that's when Quill released the nuke of all questions, "If you had one wish, what would you wish for?"

As always, the answer made his heart flood, "A mansion. With a bunch of servants. And I'd have a lot of guest rooms, because all my friends would visit. And we'd sit in a circle and tell jokes, and laugh for hours…Oh, I'd also have a car…" she went on and on.

He didn't have the heart to tell her he had said "one" wish.

When she was done he asked her what her name was.

"Emily Sparrow." was her reply.

He gave this Emily Sparrow three hundred dollars. It wasn't much, and he knew Bernadette would kill him for it, but any humane person knew that was the only option.

"I sincerely hope this helps you get that mansion." Quill said in a shaky voice, placing the money in Emily's hands with a firm grasp.

And when Emily Sparrow hugged him and cried, he waited until she left to cry too.

He did that every now and then. He talked to people and ended up crying. Just to remind himself of one fact: these were the people Quill Bodhi Wright were fighting for. Not the overtly rich and luxurious. Not the deceitful politicians. But the people with dreams, and broken lives.

That was the reason Quill travelled. It wasn't for school or adventure, but it was for those moments when a girl like Emily Sparrow was allowed to dream.

* * *

><p>Kaoru had waited over forty-five minutes, and Hikaru still hadn't made his way back to the car. He decided to go out and look for him, because chances were Hikaru had gotten lost. He told them all that if he hadn't gotten back in the next fifteen minutes, to call the police or something.<p>

With each step, he grew further and further from the safety of the van, and his heart rate increased. He had finally reached the point where there were no cars at all. And he couldn't see any light either.

He found himself incredibly paranoid. With every sound made (e.g., the clanking of a garbage can, the blowing of the wind) he found himself jumping.

So, that is why he felt relieved when he finally bumped into a decent looking soul.

"Hi! I'm looking for the," he stopped to reference his sheet of paper, "Seven Shades Night Club?"

"Are you? Well, it's right around the corner. I'll show you." said the well-dressed fellow.

Kaoru thanked him and followed as the man led him about a block away.

"This is it." he announced.

But when Kaoru looked up all he saw was a brick wall.

"Excuse me sir, but-" Kaoru started, but was interrupted when the stranger pushed him against the wall, and put a hand over his mouth.

"Now, you listen here. We're going to do this, and you're going to keep your mouth shut, understand? No trouble, or else." said the previously nice seeming guy.

It took a moment for Kaoru to realize what "this" was, and he realized not a moment too soon because he finally got enough sense about him to struggle against the stranger's grip. Kaoru be _damned _if any shit was going down tonight. That's not what he came to America for, and he'd let it be known.

But with all his struggling, he got nowhere.

Kaoru sincerely hoped Hikaru's twin senses were tingling.

That is, if Hikaru didn't manage to get himself in danger as well.

* * *

><p>Quill was making his way back to the car when he heard something that sounded like a muffled scream. Thinking things through, he followed the direction of the sound cautiously.<p>

What he found was something that _did not _sit well with him. A teenager with bright orange hair seemed to be restrained by what was obviously a perverted man looking for…Quill shuddered, and left the thought unfinished.

He made eye-contact with the boy, and as soon as his captor saw the look in his eyes, he turned around as well.

And was met with a face full of garbage can.

Quickly, Quill and the orange-haired boy took off running. After running for three blocks, Quill stopped and looked at him.

"I think we're safe. That was a close call." Quill said.

The boy just seemed to be in so much shock, and all he could breathe out was, "Thank you."

In return, Quill raised an eyebrow, "Twilight moment, much? I just know I'll be posting this on some stupid 'My Life is so Twilight' blog. But, you don't look like a Bella. And I sure as hell don't intend to become a sparkly vampire."

Quill ranted when he was nervous.

All of a sudden, Kaoru opened his mouth, as if getting ready to say something.

But, instead, he just settled on fainting.

"Well, this didn't happen in the novel." Quill muttered to himself as he picked up the kid and headed back to the spot where Zebra and Bernadette were supposed to be waiting.

When he finally got there, he discovered they had driven off.

"Well…this is awkward." Quill voiced aloud as he alternated his gaze between the body in his arms and the empty parking space.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_Twilight reference, ftw. It's my favorite novel to make fun of. It's funny, because in my other stories I make so many Harry Potter references it's not even laughable.

Quill is a fun character to write. So is Zebra. :DD.

And although no one reads these, I'm going to make this point right now for those who haven't picked it up. Bernadette is a metaphor for the brain. If you take almost any sentence with her name in it and replaced in with "the brain" or "his brain" or "her brain" or "their brain", it should still vaguely make sense. E.g. the scene where Quill leaves Bernadette and Zebra behind:

["I'm going to drive around a bit. I hope you don't mind." Zebra said.

"Not at all." Bernadette (her brain) reasoned, as she took a seat in the far back and drowned herself in words and numbers.]

I didn't want to be so blatantly obvious in the story as to explain it in that much detail, so that's what these author notes are for.

I hoped you had as much fun reading this chapter as I did writing it.

Happy trails,

Your New Best Friend.

(P.S. I won't be updating this often. Obviously. But I wont take too long either. My updating pattern is kind of sporadic.)


	3. Faustian Bargain

"Hey. Did you have a nice nap, princess?" a strange youth asked Kaoru.

Kaoru blinked a few times before surveying his surroundings. He felt scared and for a moment isolated. He had forgotten where he was, or where he was going.

But that feeling of loneliness was gone the moment Kaoru realized he was in the arms of a stranger. He screamed. That caused the stranger to scream as well. They both yelled incoherencies for a good ten minutes.

"Let go of me! Don't touch me! Get away from me!" Kaoru yelled many different forms of "Go away."

The stranger was panicking in a different manner, "Stop that! You're hurting me! Is this how you pay me back for- OUCH! You bit me!"

They both viewed themselves as the victim in the situation.

Kaoru rolled out of the strangers arms and landed on the ground clumsily. He picked up a nearby metal pipe and began to hold it in front of himself.

"S-Stay back. I'm warning you! Look, I know what you are." Kaoru admitted.

"Say it. Out loud." said Quill with an eyebrow raised. Two Twilight moments in one day? Was there any way he was that blessed?

"You're…a…perverted hippie." Kaoru answered.

"No! I'm a Christian Jewish Buddhist, you nimrod." he replied in his usual fashion, slightly aggravated. (Quill borrowed beliefs from his favorite religions). Why did everyone think he was a hippie? He had stopped wearing the pony-tail three months ago, and adapted a safe habit of wearing shoes. He hadn't donned a head-band since middle school, for Allah's sake!

Kaoru took a moment to relax, and slowly but surely it all came back to him. This strange hippie had saved him from that…guy. First lesson Kaoru learned while being in America? Looks apparently meant nothing the moment you crossed the border.

He dropped the dirty led pipe, and wiped off his hands on his pants, wincing.

_These pants cost nearly one hundred U.S. dollars, _he thought.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I'm Kaoru Hitachiian." he stuck out his hand; expected Quill to shake it.

Instead, he fist pounded it, "Quill Wright is the name and trolling is my game. Isn't that name Japanese? I should have known you weren't from around these parts…wait a moment! You're Kaoru _Hitachiian_?"

Kaoru answered in the affirmative, which almost sent Quill into critical condition.

"You're loaded!"

"With what?" Kaoru asked. He wasn't that familiar with American slang.

Quill didn't even bother to answer him, because he was already pacing the side walk in careful contemplation, pausing every now and then to look Kaoru in the eye, and go, "Hitachiian!" in absolute disbelief, then he would continue pacing and muttering.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wright, but I really do need to find my brother. That's the reason I came out here."

But all Quill did was shoot him a look for interrupting his thoughts. After a moment of contemplating, he seemed to agree.

"Right you are. Don't you worry, Mr. Hitachiian. Stick with me and we'll find your brother. And, a little tip: Don't go off with strange men, okay?"

"But you're a strange man." Kaoru replied, more worried than playful.

Quill didn't even bother to humor him with an answer, but rather trudged on into the dark. He knew Kaoru was too piss scared _not _to follow him.

And he was right, because only a few moments later he heard the pitter patter of Kaoru's light-weight footsteps, and felt two arms rap around his torso, scared of letting go, lest it meant losing him.

* * *

><p>"You know, B, I don't think he appreciates us enough. We go along with his <em>foolish<em> antics, and we're probably the only two people on this earth that haven't gotten fed up with him yet. His own _mother _kicked him out for that whole week, remember?" Zebra said to her emotionally subdued companion.

"I do. That was a bad week for him." Bernadette replied. She was his faithful assistant/friend/flat-mate. She knew him better than he knew himself.

"It was a bad week for all of us." Zebra said pointedly. That was the week Zebra had been through her third therapist for those nightmares, and Bernadette had gotten the hard drive of her computer wiped. As far as the world was concerned, that was as deep as Bernadette's problems went.

"Shut up and suck on a lollipop." Bernadette commanded, offering her a lime green one.

Zebra grabbed it from her hand moodily and started to fiddle with the wrapper, while Bernadette was too preoccupied to remind her to keep her eye on the road.

This would explain why she crashed the rented van right into the back of a parked vehicle.

* * *

><p>Honey thought the world was ending. Haruhi unleashed every curse word known to man, woman, hermaphrodite, and transgender. Tamaki immediately began to assess his face for damages. Mori continued to snore.<p>

Immediately, Kyoya ushered them all out of their van and assessed everything.

Smoke was shooting from the engine, so he grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around his face. He instructed everyone else to do the same.

"This is bad. This isn't in our budgets at all." Kyoya mused to himself. He almost forgot about the other people who had hit their van, until he saw the two arrive out of the car.

"This is definitely not in our budgets." a mousy, petite girl echoed as she assessed the damages on her vehicle. She seemed to cringe mentally and physically for every new crack and dent she discovered. And once she turned around and noticed the damage on the other vehicle, she vocalized her agony with a small, "Oh dear."

The taller girl seemed keen on ignoring the small one and focused on groveling. Once she deduced that Kyoya was running the show, she threw herself in front of him, kneeling on the ground in what can be interpreted as a very inappropriate position.

"We're super super sorry, sir, it's my fault. My entire fault! Just… please don't sue us! One more criminal offense and that's it! Vamoose! I'm sent packing back to Bath! Have you ever been to Bath? It's a terrible place! So incredibly _dull_." she was ranting now.

Kyoya began to smirk, "I've been to Bath. And you're right. It is dull." He sympathized, but would not show it. He thought he'd have fun a little longer.

As upset as he was about the car, he had no intention on suing them. He wasn't happy about spending the money, but he knew he could cover the damages.

"I can't go back there! I'd…Oh my God…I'd have to live with Mum!" she was worrying out loud more than anything.

Meanwhile, Bernadette was busy attempting to drag Zebra off of the ground. When this tact proved unsuccessful, she settled on addressing the stranger directly.

"I apologize for her. She sometimes forgets her manners. I'm Bernadette McCormick. Here's my card. I sincerely hope we can work out an agreement."

Kyoya seemed to be having a severe case of déjà vu. There was a similar time, not too long ago, when a stranger had broken something of value, and had been indebted to him…

Haruhi seemed to catch on immediately, as she shot Kyoya a knowing look. If only she had realized a moment sooner, she may have been able to warn the two travellers. Let Kyoya sue you. It was better than owing him something.

"Don't worry. I won't charge you a dime. But, these repairs will go over a thousand dollars, easily. So, I only ask one thing in return." Kyoya said.

Making a deal with Kyoya was equivalent to a Faustian bargain.

"I only request that you help us out for the duration of our trip in America. You see, we're looking for someone. And the moment we find that someone, you'll be free of debt."

Bernadette exhaled. Finding a person? That wouldn't he hard. They had the internet, not to mention Quill's determination, and Zebra's connections. One way or another, Zebra knew everyone that was anyone. One would have to after travelling for so long. It shouldn't be that hard at all.

"Oh, you almost gave me a scare for a moment there! Who exactly are we looking for?" Bernadette asked.

"Paul Spector." Kyoya answered.

Collectively, Bernadette and Zebra guffawed.

Kyoya looked a bit wounded, so the two stopped laughing. For a moment, Bernadette looked regretful that she had to be the one to tell them the news. They looked like nice enough people, and she would in no way have them go on a wild goose chase.

"I…" she saw the hopeful look on their faces, "I'm…sure we can do it together." she settled on saying.

* * *

><p>Hikaru stood in front of the decrepit building that used to be the Seven Shades Night Club. He didn't want it to be so desolate. Hopeful, he pushed on the door. It swung open with a creek; the rusty door hinges had been out of use for quite some time.<p>

As the door opened to the ghost town, he felt his only hope slip away.

That was it. The last chance. And he knew he was no detective.

Who was he, really?

Why, nothing more than a self-righteous teenager who thought he was above everyone. There were two worlds: the one with him, and the one with everyone else. If anything, his heritage was the only thing worthwhile to him. And even that had been a lie.

So, forgive Hikaru, for going a little mad in the process to find the truth.

He led all of his friends on a ridiculous trip to America, only to be able to say he was wrong. If Paul Spector had ever been there, he certainly left no signs.

In his haste to feel connected to something, he lost everything.

At first he stared blankly, asking the one question we're all eventually forced to contemplate:

_What do I do now?_

A hand touched Hikaru's shoulder, and as opposed to being scared he saw it as an excuse to let go. He knew it had been Kaoru, and he simply buried himself into the arms of his twin. He didn't shed a tear. He focused all of his energy on tightening his grip.

He simply hung onto Kaoru like a life-line. In a world where he felt connected to nothing, his twin was the only thing he was sure of.

He was the only thing that made any sense at all.

* * *

><p>When Kaoru had described where he had come from, Quill led the twins back to where they parked.<p>

And let out an audible sob when he saw the mess Zebra had made while he was gone.

"Youuuu!" he moaned, pointing at Zebra, "You did this!"

But Zebra had made Quill go into hysterics on several occasions, and paid no attention to his antics. She sometimes suspected he was acting, since he could stop the act on a drop of a dime.

"Oh, hush up, you. I was talking to these lovely people, and they're from Ouran Academy." she told him.

Quill looked up at her from where he was pretend crying on the ground, blinked a few times, and said in a squeaky voice, "The one in Japan?"

"No. The one in Miami. Yes, the one in Japan."

He had something he wanted to say immediately, but politely waited until after everyone had introduced themselves.

Finally, when the last of them were done introducing themselves, he said the following, "Look. You all seem like lovely people. So, we best be on our ways. If necessary, I guess I'll write you a paycheck. Not like you'll need it."

"Quill has a phobia of the wealthy." Bernadette explained.

"So did I before I started out at Ouran. Between two scholarship students, I still do." Haruhi said. Quill had no idea Haruhi was a scholarship student, and immediately had twenty questions to ask her.

But, of course, he had to bite his tongue because Zebra interrupted in her usual brash way.

"I say we split up in two groups to find this bloke." she said.

"What bloke?" Quinn asked.

Hikaru felt his head spinning. Everyone was talking at once and it upset him mentally.

"WILL EVERYONE SHUT UP?" Hikaru yelled.

Surprisingly enough, everyone became silent. He had previously thought that trick only worked in the movies.

"Now, if anyone even _cares, _I just thought I'd share with all of you that the Seven Shades Night Club has been closed for some time now. So, we should stop socializing with strangers, work on some payment plan, and find a way to head back to Japan. Our whole reason for coming here is kind of a dead end." he announced to them, feeling quite bitter himself.

"I regret to inform you, Hikaru, but you're a little behind. While you were gone, I solved both of those problems. These three lovely people owe us, so I figured they'd pay us back by helping us locate Paul Spector." Kyoya explained patiently, like an adult would explain to a three year old.

The whole time Quill had been listening silently, but after he heard that name he felt the need to interrupt once again.

"We're _helping _you find _who_?" he said, flabbergasted.

"Paul Spector." Kyoya repeated.

Bernadette tried to shoot Quill a warning look, but he had already been too far gone.

"You mean that guy who's been _missing _for _eleven years_? Why would you want to find him? The rest of the world has pretty much given up on him." he said.

There was a silent moment. The fact that Paul Spector had been missing was apparently news to the Host Club. They all seemed to look at Hikaru and Kaoru, specifically to see how they would handle it.

"You see, we're not the 'rest of the world'." Hikaru started with conviction, "I'd like to think we're more than that."

"I forgot to ask. Why do you want to find this guy so badly.

"Because," Kaoru stated matter-of-factly, "We're Paul Spector's sons."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also, Quill's kind of odd when it comes to religion. He picks and choses. I'm pretty sure I explained that.

Hug someone today, please. Hug them like you'll never see them again. Because you never know.

Sincerely,

Your New Best Friend.


	4. Spare Parts

Quill looked at the twins. They were strangers to him, but he felt some kind of unrealistic bond. He, more than anyone, knew what it was like to be confused. He knew what it was like to not understand who he truly was. Back then, no one wanted to help him. And even if they did, he wasn't sure they could.

Of all the dad's to have in the world, fate dealt them Paul Spector. The man who had been missing for most of Quill's natural life. When he thought of a cold case; a mistake; a tragedy; he saw the face of Paul Spector plastered on the side of old buildings; the edges of flyers yellowing from age, and the words becoming illegible from the countless rain storms.

Time had not been kind to Paul Spector's memory.

And this held absolutely no significance at all to Quill. He had seen countless signs before. So why the hell did he not feel a thing until now?

He didn't know how to describe the bond. But to put things simply, the next words Quill said were coming from the part of him that gave money away to strangers. Human to human. Maybe that's what the bond was.

"I…didn't know he had any kids." was all he could say.

* * *

><p>"I <em>can't <em>believe I'm going along with this." Quill said out loud for the fifteenth time as he surveyed his surroundings. He was on a bus, sitting between Kyoya and Haruhi, and headed for _Wal-Mart._

"I know. Public transit is _so_ beneath me." Kyoya mumbled.

"I don't mean the bus, I mean this whole plan!" Quill stressed.

"Well, you should have thought about that before crashing into our van." Kyoya said.

"That wasn't even me!" Quill said, and as an afterthought he muttered, "Damn rich people."

"Tell me about it." Haruhi whispered back to him.

After calling the towing company to have their wreckage cleaned up, Kyoya immediately started to formulate a game plan of sorts. Collectively, they all decided the best way to start would be to find a method of transport. So, they all hopped on a bus to get to Wal-Mart in order to pick up the RV that Bernadette, Quill, and Zebra had parked.

When they finally reached their stop, the eccentric group all exited the bus and walked about a block. Kaoru seemed to be trailing behind Quill, because it was still night-time, while Zebra was busy trying to get herself well acquainted with Tamaki.

"Soooo, you're single, I presume?" Zebra asked Tamaki in her attempt at a sultry voice.

"Must you be so obvious, woman!" Quill belted from the back of the group, "Have some dignity."

Tamaki wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. For being the expert at flirting, he was pretty oblivious when people tried to drop hints at him, "Yes. And your voice sounds odd. Do you have a sore throat?"

Quill laughed as Zebra stormed away from the ditzy blond, folding her arms and exclaiming, "What a nancy-boy!"

"A nancy-boy that you were into only moments before." Bernadette reminded her innocently.

"Well look who's getting cheeky." Zebra replied with a smile.

"Who?" Bernadette asked, looking around to see what she was talking about.

* * *

><p>When they actually got to the Wal-Mart Quill took out his keys and powered up the RV. Everyone stepped inside and made themselves comfortable in whatever way they could.<p>

After everyone was inside, Quill turned to Kyoya and asked, "Where to, boss?"

"The Hilton. I think we've all earned a night's rest, don't you?" Kyoya asked.

But Quill couldn't even reply, because he was shocked at the name being mentioned. The last time Quill checked into a five star hotel, it was under a fake name, and he had skipped out on the check the next morning.

The car ride was uneventful enough, except for the incident where Honey stuck his head out of the window and almost fell out onto the street. Mori and Zebra successfully wheeled him in, though, although after he was inside he still thought himself to be falling for a few moments afterward.

Kaoru felt slightly out of place. He watched as the others all conversed and joked like they normally did and he somehow felt like a spare part. Cast away, he ended up settling next to Quill while he drove.

Quill observed him out of the corner of his eye. He saw how Kaoru was constantly keeping surveillance; constantly glancing over his shoulder. It seemed to become a nervous habit of his. And he also noticed how the younger twin hadn't left his side since they had first met.

"Hey, Kaoru," Kaoru cringed at his American pronunciation, "How are you fairing?"

"How did you know I wasn't Hikaru?" he asked.

"How did you know I wasn't _Zebra_?" Quill replied. And that was good enough.

"Sorry. Um, so-" Kaoru started, but Quill interrupted him.

"Are you still shaken up about what happened? Listen, there are tons of creeps _all over America_. Trust me, I've met all of them at least once. But that's not the majority. Don't let that one bad encounter leave you jaded."

"I-I'm not." Kaoru tried to reassure him.

"Yes, you are. But no matter what the outcome of this trip is, _you_, Kaoru Hitachiian, _will _have a fun. I give you my word." because there were times when Quill's word was all he had.

And Kaoru was tired of harboring so much doubt, so he settled on believing him.

* * *

><p>"Holy granola, this place is a palace!" Zebra exclaimed as she waltzed into the lobby.<p>

Quill glared at everything crossly, noticing immediately one-hundred and one ways they've wasted money for the sake of image.

Bernadette was busying herself playing Angry Birds on her IPod instead of budgeting for a change. Honey had noticed and became fascinated with the game.

"Can I play?" he asked cutely.

"Sure. You can have it for the rest of the night. Here's the charger." she handed him the game and proceeded to play the version of it she had on her cell-phone.

After being checked in, they all negotiated rooming arrangements, considering they had an additional three people added. After much discussion and hurtful words—"I'm not sure our room will fit you, Zee." "I'll murder you in your sleep."—they finally decided on the arrangements.

Kyoya, Mori, and Honey would be sharing a room, considering the fact that Kyoya did not like talking, and Mori was pretty much silent. Honey just happened to be a part of the package.

Quill and Bernadette usual roomed together wherever they went, and since Zebra had had enough of Quill for one night, they squared off their trio by adding Kaoru.

Zebra roomed with Haruhi, since she knew that she could not trust herself to be in a room with attractive men. And no, for those who are wondering. Zebra does not consider Quill a man, much less an attractive one.

So, by default Hikaru and Tamaki were stuck together.

They all went to their rooming arrangements and tried to sleep. They knew they had a big day ahead of them tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em>Zebra is in a room. The room is so very dark. It's damp and cold and so unfortunately familiar. She sees the same man she has seen repeatedly, and his voice and hands are the same. But there is something different. It takes her a while to process it at first. There is a sound. The sound is very distant, as if at the end of a forever stretching tunnel. But then all of a sudden it grows very distinct. It is wailing. A small babe is wailing like it knows something no one else knows.<em>

She woke up, expecting Haruhi to be awake, and to be staring at her worriedly. She knew for a fact that she usually talked in her sleep. Or, more accurately, she screamed in her sleep. But this time was different. This time, it appeared she hadn't made a sound.

She felt that her face was moist. She thought it to be perspiration, but realized it wasn't so. Putting a hand to her cheek, she realized almost immediately that she had been crying.

_That's a new development, _she thought lazily before going back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Kaoru had woken up from his usual nightmare, panting while looking around the room. It was so dark, and as usual, he forgot where he was. He felt a hand on him, gently stroking his hair. Nervously, he clamored for the lamp next to him and turned on the light.<p>

He saw that Bernadette had a tray of three cups of tea, and that it was Quill who was stroking his hair, whispering softly, "Shhh. It's okay. We're here."

"Here. Be careful, it's hot. But it's chamomile. It should help you get back to sleep." Bernadette said while handing him the scolding hot tea with a worried expression.

Kaoru was slightly confused. He wondered how it was possible to have two people so inept on what to do or what to say. He felt embarrassed, but more than that, he felt grateful.

"If you're wondering why we're so good at this, our Zebra has nightmares too." Bernadette explained.

"But she hasn't had a nightmare as bad as yours in a while. You were panicking in Japanese, but I figured it must have been pretty grim. You're crying." Quill mentioned, gesturing to his eyes.

"I'm not a child. You don't need to fuss over me." Kaoru said irritably, sloppily wiping away his tears in utter embarrassment and batting away Quill's hand that was still petting his head.

He didn't want these people to think he was weak. He spent so many years trying to convince people he was quite the contrary, and wouldn't let it all go to ashes in one night. Kaoru Hitachiian was not one to be toyed with. He'd make it obvious from then on.

Bernadette and Quill exchanged a knowing glance. Sometimes, they could be a bit overbearing, and they knew it. But it wasn't their fault. They only did for others what they would want others to do for them. Because sometimes, on cold, brutal nights spent in Russia, or on a lazy summer's day in Paris; surrounded by wonder, they'd briefly want nothing more than to be comforted or cared for.

Not saying Quill has ever had a nightmare. He's seen too many real world nightmares to busy himself with petty dreams.

"Blast it. We've done it again, haven't we? We're trying too hard." Quill mumbled.

"We? This was your idea." Bernadette hissed back at him defensively.

Kaoru saw them argue back and forth and immediately felt ungrateful.

"I'm sorry for keeping you guys up. I'll try to get back to sleep now." and as an afterthought he added, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

And although he'd never admit it, the way the two of them beamed made Kaoru's heart swoon.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Kyoya and Mori were fast asleep, while Honey continued to play Angry Birds.<p>

"Must. Stop. Playing." he commanded himself, "But it's sinfully addicting!"

* * *

><p>Let it be mentioned that Tamaki Suoh is a lot of things. He is a prince. He is a fool. He is an heir. He is a lovechild. But under no circumstances is he a heavy sleeper.<p>

"What in heaven's name is that _sound_?" he groaned, rolling out of bed and landing straight on the ground with a thud.

"Ouch." he said in a muffled voice. He had landed face first.

Now even more irritated, and with something akin to rug burn on his forehead which smudged his overnight facial mask, he began to lazily roll across the room to investigate. It was so incredibly annoying; the sound. It was some kind of god forsaken clicking! _Click click click. Tap tap tap._

He finally went face to face with what seemed to be two pair of feet, and chair legs (he was witnessing everything at ground level). Still half asleep, he came across the logical conclusion to tug on them. So, he did.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hikaru yelled as he felt something tug on his leg. He looked down to see a mushy green face with an angry red mark on the forehead, eerily illuminated by the light coming from his laptop.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Tamaki, finally shocked into being fully awake. The two yelled for a few seconds before Tamaki realized the situation and explained, "It's me, Hikaru. It's me. Put the lamp down."

Hikaru froze in contemplation before setting down the lamp back on the bedside table.

"Oh! I'm sorry, boss. It's just, I thought you were asleep. And… your face." he explained while chuckling.

"What about my face?" Tamaki said, his voice giving away the fact that he was evidently pouting.

"It's…cute as a button." Hikaru replied absent-mindedly, and continued to type away at the laptop.

"It's that machine!" Tamaki declared, finally deducing what the sound was "What are you doing, anyhow?"

Hikaru continued to type away at the screen, entering search terms, "I'm trying to find out more about Paul Spector for tomorrow. We have a big day ahead of us."

"Exactly. Which is why you need to rest. Now turn off that lap top, change into your pajamas, and go to bed, mister!" Tamaki declared in a tone that he deemed as selfless and prince-like.

"Just leave me be, will you? You don't know what it's like to have a missing parent." Hikaru said in a moment of annoyance.

Then he realized what he said.

Tamaki looked down at the ground; his hair covering his eyes as he tried to mask the emotion they were displaying. It seemed that while Hikaru realized his feelings, Tamaki himself had become aware of the long sheltered bitterness that lived within him. Hikaru went to put a hand on his shoulder, apologize, but Tamaki beat him to the punch.

"I'm sorry," he said genuinely, "I'll leave you too it, then. Just don't stay up too long." He punctuated his sentence with a grin before heading back to bed.

Although they both had parents missing, there was a very distinct difference between Hikaru and Tamaki. Hikaru had been sheltered in warmth and happiness, being raised to not be aware of his biological father at all. Tamaki, on the other hand, knew his mother better than he knew himself. For all those years he had her memory to be tortured by. He actually _missed _her.

And, unfortunately, it took exchanging careless words in a hotel room in the faraway country of America, for the two of them to make that distinction.

* * *

><p>The next morning the whole fifth floor had been awoken by the distressed cry of a very grumpy, extremely sleepy, and wrathfully vengeful Shadow King as he got a call at six a.m. in the morning.<p>

"What do you _mean _the check bounced?" he yelled into the receiver; knuckles turning white with the death-grip he had around the phone.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**YES! I'm glad I finished up this chapter. Hopefully, I kind of established how everyone stood with each other as characters (ya know, relations, blah blahhh). Next chapter: The hunt begins. Wooohoooo.

Something tells me I'm probably more excited about that then any of you are.

Have a grand day! Smell the roses, dance in the rain, write a letter to a friend so they know you haven't forgotten about them.

Sincerely,

Your New Best Friend.


	5. Pretend Dreams

"Oh no." Haruhi grumbled as soon as she heard Kyoya's outburst. She put on some slippers and experimentally poked her head out of the door to peer down the hallway. She looked to her left to make eye-contact with Hikaru, who was also poking his head out of the door.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered excitedly, "It sounds like they're in for it."

"This isn't Ouran, Hikaru. Kyoya can't go around giving people orders." she reasoned.

This was a new concept to Hikaru. Everywhere he had been with the Host Club so far had been within Kyoya's jurisdiction. A world without the tyrannical rule of the Shadow King? Next thing he knew, she'd be saying that democracy existed.

"Well, if he can't, who can?" he questioned.

"I don't know! Barack Obama, maybe?"

"Who's that? Some country singer?" he asked with his nose scrunched up.

Just as Haruhi was about to reply to him, he was pushed out of the doorway to make way for Tamaki's overly large head. Big blue eyes surveyed the hallway, trying to assess the danger level of the situation. After he had decided that things were safe he scurried out into the middle of the hallway with his bunny slippers on and a baby blue robe that nearly touched the floor. Satisfied with his judgment, he began to make his way towards the elevator so he could get down in time for breakfast…

…until he was grabbed by the top of his robe by a clearly murderous-but-attempting-to-hide-it Kyoya.

"Heeeeeeelp meeeeee." he panicked as the raven-haired fiend dragged him into the elevator like a sack of potatoes.

The last sight Tamaki saw before the elevator door closed was Haruhi reaching out to help him, and Hikaru remaining behind, pointing and laughing.

_Damn Hitachiian, _he thought hopelessly.

"I hope you're having a pleasant morning, Tamaki." Kyoya said politely, and Tamaki wasn't sure if he imagined it or not, but he was sure he detected a hint of bloodlust in his voice.

"It's pretty good so far." Tamaki answered. The elevator music continued to play in the background and he took the lull in activity as a chance to think of how he was going to make a run for it.

But when the doors slid open he lost all of his courage by the look Kyoya shot him beneath those glasses of his. As he was led to the front desk Tamaki at least found enough courage to ask what all of this was about.

"Well, you see, these lovely people are saying that our check bounced. I'm going to get all of this straightened out, and as the leader of the Host Club, I deem it very important for you to be around during financial issues." Kyoya explained kindly enough, but when he was so serene that was usually when trouble was around the corner.

"And if it isn't a mistake?" Tamaki asked.

"Well, you better hope it is, considering the amount of room service you ordered last night." Kyoya started, "But, we'll deal with that when we get there, hm?" He punctuated the sentence with a smile.

Tamaki gulped.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, Hikaru and Haruhi were relaying the story to the rest of the expedition.<p>

"But he wouldn't actually _kill_ him…would he?" Zebra asked which earned a storm of laughter from every Host Club member, except for Honey who was still hopelessly immersed in yet another round of Angry Birds.

"Of course not!" Hikaru announced between laughter.

"A dead Tamaki is pretty useless, don't you think?" Kauro chimed in.

Good point, Kaoru. Good point.

At that point Tamaki and Kyoya emerged from the elevator, Tamaki looking a bit green in the face and Kyoya seeming as peachy as ever.

"I hope I didn't worry you all. It appears our parents have closed access to all of our accounts until we go back to Japan." Kyoya explained leisurely.

They all stared at him for a moment, processing the information. Then immediately there was a chorus of complaints.

"But, combined we should have enough pocket money to pay off our stay here. Of course, that will leave us all broke. So, Tamaki and I have come to an agreement." Kyoya continued to explain.

"As the father of this family…" Tamaki began, which earned him a confused stare from Quill, "I will be getting a job!" he announced valiantly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>After everyone was done laughing their asses off to the point of nearly pissing their pants<strong>_

As Tamaki, Kyoya, and Haruhi spent time training Tamaki to get Tamaki a job—with Mori driving them around—Quill, Zebra, Bernadette, and the twins were thinking of ways to start the hunt over a steaming breakfast that they had delivered up to their rooms.

"Don't you think it's unwise to squander money?" Quill questioned as he watched the others eat their meals. He didn't feel that hungry.

"You heard them. Tamaki's going to get a job. Soon we'll be swimming in money." Kaoru reasoned.

"But, that's not how it works. You have to-" Quill started, but Zebra merely shook her head, letting him know they were a lost cause.

Bernadette couldn't help but think that maybe she was in over her head. These two kids were obviously pampered beyond repair, and were used to things happening immediately. She didn't know how to explain to them that this wasn't going to be a quick process. It wasn't something that could happen at the snap of a finger, or the flick of a wand.

The fact remained that professionally trained detectives could not locate this man. So what made Hikaru and Kaoru think they could?

More importantly, why would they even want to?

She had already pegged Kaoru as a follower. He was in this to make his brother happy. So she focused on watching as Hikaru, the obviously more strong-willed of the twins, formulated plans.

Why waste time to find his biological father? DNA was simply that; DNA. It didn't mean a thing. It didn't hold any secrets, or any clues of our future like so many scientists believe. Because in Bernadette's book, those things were useless.

But then again, that opinion was coming from a child who grew up in a group home. She had been small and sickly, and had no parents to speak of. In a world so keen on ignoring the tragic, people liked to pretend she didn't exist. It was terribly easy, and could be done at days at a time.

Maybe that's why she continued to be so small. While she watched others around her grow up to be successful and in the spotlight, she remained in obscurity, shadowed by those greater than her.

No one saw her rushing out there in the world to hunt down _her _parents. Sometimes, briefly, she wondered what life would have been like with them, but she quickly dismisses it. That's not a road she wants to go down.

She settled on being a support system for others, and helping others to make their dreams come true. She was like a parasite. She latched onto the nearest dreamer and fed herself on their successes.

Maybe that's why she clicked so instantly with Quill. They lived for other people's dreams, as opposed to living for their own, which is actually a lot more selfish than it sounds.

This brought her back to the person in question: Hikaru Hitachiian. She didn't like that she didn't know what made him tick. That was her purpose! She knew things before anyone else did. But now she couldn't.

"…so at that point Bernadette will come in. Is that okay with you?" Hikaru asked, directly addressing her.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked. She had been partially checked out of the conversation.

Zebra re-explained the crazy plan, which didn't help Bernadette to understand at all. She stared dumbly back at her. That was, indeed, a first.

"I'm sorry, what?" Bernadette said a second time.

* * *

><p>Kyoya, Haruhi, and Mori lay down on the floor of Tamaki's hotel room, newspaper spread flat out in front of them, turned to the page with job adverts. Meanwhile, Tamaki was in the bathroom, practicing how to act professional—or as Haruhi put it, non-idiotic—and he thought himself to be getting along quite well.<p>

"Wait, what would I say if they ask me my qualifications?" Tamaki called from behind the locked door.

The three looked up from the job adverts at one another. They hadn't thought of that one.

"Tell them you've been trained at a private academy in Japan. Americans think all Japanese are smart." Kyoya told him.

"Clearly they haven't met Tamaki." Haruhi mumbled, which caused Mori to chuckle.

"But they will. Oh, God help them." Kyoya said.

Little did they all know that Tamaki was not planning for interviews at all, but he was really looking at himself in the mirror and posing, occasionally making the duck face and thinking, "Wow, can I get any better looking?" He'd stop to occasionally ask questions to make it _sound _like he was doing some critical thinking, but in reality Tamaki couldn't spell critical if you gave him three tries and threatened to give him a mullet.

* * *

><p>"Will you straighten my mustache, love?" Quill asked Hikaru.<p>

Hikaru promptly turned to Kaoru and asked, "What is that, gay code or something?" then when his brother shrugged he addressed Quill when he said, "I'd rather not."

Laughing, Zebra explained, "It's okay. He calls everyone terms of endearment. Even people he hates. It's sort of annoying because you never know whether he's pissed or not."

Quill and Zebra were clad in ridiculously _loud_ outfits, and as much disguise as possible. Just the prospect of entering a police-station was making Quill sweat more than a sinner in church—there have been several points in his life when he _was _a sinner wearing the mask of a saint—and Zebra was worried because every time the police and Quill came in close proximity there was always hell to pay for all involved.

Although, the upside was that they both got to pretend to be journalists. The only thing better than pretending would be reality. Because pretend dreams are never too fun in the long haul.

Bernadette waited around the bend of the street with Hikaru and Kaoru, waiting for her cue to head in the station.

Right before they entered the station Zebra whispered to Quill, "Do you remember the plan?"

"Plan? That doesn't sound like a fun word at all."

And with that they entered the station.

* * *

><p>"Straighten your tie. Look confident. Stop slouching. Smile more…more teeth, there. Perfect. Firmer handshake. You call that a handshake?" Haruhi was making some last minute adjustments on Tamaki before he headed into the Richard and Fletcher Law Firm. He was taking everything she was saying to heart, and getting considerably depressed. She didn't do much for his ego.<p>

"I don't think I'm cut out for this sort of thing." he expressed.

"Of course you are! Just lie through your teeth and you'll be fine." Kyoya said from behind the screen of his IPod.

"No! Honesty is the best policy." Haruhi reminded him, casting a glare at Kyoya before pushing Tamaki into the revolving door.

This action sent him spiraling into the building; landing in the arms of a man in an expensive looking suit. The man's coffee spilled everywhere.

"Get this Cretan off me!" the employee cried, which caused Tamaki to panic.

"Sorry, sir, sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I'm just…here for an interview. I was hoping to be a desk assistant at this Law Firm. My name is Tamaki Suoh." he stuck out his hand and felt slightly embarrassed when the man refused to shake it.

"_You're _Tamaki Suoh?" The man asked, sneering down at his pitiful form, "You're appointment is that way, up that elevator. Your interviewer should show up in a few minutes."

And with that the man went to the rest room to clean up, while Tamaki practically shat ponies over how nervous he was.

* * *

><p>"Yes, you are correct. I am Viktor Zindell and zeese eese my partner, Greta Sputnik!" Quill announced to the front desk woman in a thick German accent.<p>

"Ja! Vee is here to do zee piece on Paul Spector? Vee called in zeese morning?" Zebra clarified.

"I don't see anything here." said the woman, which caused "Viktor" to yell out in fury.

The woman looked on in absolute bewilderment as she watched the odd man begin to gear up, as if getting ready to monologue.

"Ohhh, Britney Spear's penis! I see vat you speak! You mock us, vooman! You zink just 'cause we are not of zeese world that you can…augh, how do you say? Pull a fast one? We _demand _to be seen!" he punctuated this sentence by banging his hand against the table, which after effects caused a pen to fly through the air and adjust Zebra's wig by two centimeters.

"Racists!" Zebra added.

"Damn Americano." he said, which earned him an elbow in the ribs.

"That's Spanish." she whispered.

"Well, I'd watch that wig if I were you." he hissed back.

Since they were causing a scene and it was her first week on the job, she immediately sent them through to Michelle from accounting, just to get them out of her hair. Indignantly expressing his appreciation, Quill stopped to straighten his monocle before heading out of the room in a flurry a faux-furs and bling.

* * *

><p><em>Why do they keep asking me questions, <em>Tamaki thought as he answered his eighth question thus far.

"What do you hope to accomplish if you get this job?" the severe looking woman, referred to as Dr. Bradfield, asked him.

"I hope to make money, ma'am. Preferably U.S. dollars. Converting is a killer." Tamaki clarified, which caused her to chuckle. She had been doing a lot of that, and he wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.

"Don't we all, dear? Now, why don't you tell me a bit about your personal life? What do you do for fun?" she asked him kindly.

"I run a Host Club back home. I'm actually the founder of it." Tamaki boasted proudly.

His pride deflated when the woman looked back at him, apparently having no clue what a host club was. He was appalled! Barbarians, these Americans were. Absolute barbarians.

"Is it some sort of foreign exchange program?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"No, no, no! A Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with way too much time on their hands entertain young ladies, who also have way too much time on their hands." he explained.

She looked absolutely horrified, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds as if you've just described prostitution!"

"Similar, yes. But everyone keeps their clothes on, and we enjoy tea, and…well, it's not that similar at all now that I think about it." he answered, seeming to be contemplating it himself.

"What Law School did you say you went to again?" she asked, wondering what kind of school would endorse such a thing.

"Law School? I went to Ouran Academy, but it's not exactly a law school." he explained.

"Ouran Academy? Isn't that a high school?"

"Well, or course! How old do I look? I sure hope not a day over seventeen." and Tamaki was escorted out of the Law Firm so quickly that he didn't even have time to wink.

* * *

><p>Quill and Zebra, or more accurately, Mr. Zindell and Ms. Sputnik sat across Michelle from accounting, who pulled up all the files she could about Paul Spector on a computer. She had introduced herself accordingly and sat patiently, hands folded, as the two of them got together their equipment.<p>

"Are you guys ready to start? I have a meeting to attend at eight o' clock." Michelle explained, now getting impatient.

"Oh, right, yes! Of course. I'm just waiting for my big-busted; empty headed partner to get out the tape recorder," he said while leaning forward and saying, "She's, um, as you say…a total butter-face, eh?"

Zebra, overhearing him kicked him in the shin under the table, which caused him to yelp in pain. Later on, he'd say it was worth it. There weren't many opportunities where he could insult Zebra without hearing her mind-fuck of a come-back.

Just before the interview was about to start, Michelle surveyed the two people in front of her. Ms. Sputnik's wig was beginning to reveal tufts of brown hair underneath, while Mr. Zindell's mustache was hanging on for dear life, crookedly on the left side of his face.

The two parties stared at each other for a bit as a moment of realization dawned on both of them. Not sure of what to do next; of who should make the first move, they both continued to stare at each other a little bit longer.

They had reached a moment of decision at the same time, because as Michelle began to pronounce the "S" in "security, Quill had already began to push out his seat and run out of the room.

By that time the two ran out of the office, while Michelle followed close on their heels, being a former police officer herself; retired to desk-work.

"Now!" Quill yelled into his Bluetooth as him and Zebra barreled out of the double glass doors, splitting up. Immediately, all of the police went after Zebra, since she was the more suspicious of the two.

While all this commotion went on, Bernadette daintily walked into the nearly empty police station, into Michelle's office where the computer files were still open, and she clicked print. While she had spare time she tapped into Quill's criminal records and deleted the account of his ban from Maryland. She had rather liked Maryland, and would like to see it again someday.

* * *

><p>"Wow. Who knew you had to go to <em>Law <em>school in order to work at a _Law _firm?" Kyoya drawled sarcastically.

"You knew and didn't tell me?" He asked, which earned a laugh from Haruhi.

"Well, this wasn't a serious interview." she explained.

He felt his stomach flop. So he had put himself throw _all _that trouble for their _amusement_?

"It was more of a test run. We're surprised you lasted that long." Kyoya said, checking his watch.

Mumbling something that could have been, "Mama is corrupting our daughter", he got into the car where Mori was sitting, and expressively told him to drive, leaving the other two behind for the first two blocks.

* * *

><p>A few hours later they all managed to make it back to the hotel room, more or less in one piece—except for Zebra, who had to run more than she ran in her whole life. She had to jump into a fountain in order to escape the trail of the cops, and thought herself to have lost three years of her lifespan in doing so.<p>

Tamaki, meanwhile, immediately flopped face-first onto his bed, not even bothering to greet Hikaru upon arrival.

"How was your day, boss?" Hikaru asked.

Tamaki replied with something that sounded like, "Dreadful." before almost immediately snoring. He was still clad in his business attire.

Hikaru took it upon himself to remove Tamaki's shows and line them against the wall before heading down to the lobby to see what everyone else was doing. He had _never _taken it upon himself to do something so thoughtful before, but he guessed it may have had something to do with the fact that whenever Tamaki went to sleep, Hikaru could do nothing but busy himself with what he must be dreaming about.

And when the obvious conclusion seemed to be someone loved and unreachable, Hikaru felt something resembling pity, but not quite so.

It compelled him to do little; nice deeds as if that could make up for the absence in Tamaki's life.

Although Hikaru did not know the name of it, these were clearly things he thought himself incapable of feeling. These were clearly acts of compassion.

* * *

><p>"So, today's expeditions were unsuccessful, I presume?" Kyoya asked Bernadette. She replied by handing him the files he printed.<p>

He was taken aback at the fact that they were actually competent at doing something. Out of things to say, he simply replied, "Well…done."

Meanwhile Mori had been preoccupying himself with the his thoughts; dwelling on the one thing that everyone else seemed to miss.

"Where's Honey?" he asked.

Everyone stopped speaking and stared at him.

Oh shit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_this shouldn't have taken as long as it did, but this chapter was intimidating to me. And then finally I realized it was because I was trying to squeeze too much into one chapter. After I realized that I began to contemplate how to move things around, until finally I came up with this. So, I focused on describing the events of this chapter, and moved everything else to different chapters. That helped tremendously, and now here we are!

I haven't decided how many chapters this story will be. It'll most likely be twenty or less, and is leaning more towards the less. I already know the basic plot, as well as the conclusion, so it's going to be really easy to wrap up.

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. (:

Love,

Your New Best Friend.

P.S. Yes, for those who are asking. Tamaki _will _get a job :'3 It's the funnest thing to write, I'll tell you that much. Not sure how it is on your end. Let me know.


	6. Poor Taylor

"Will you stop _climaxing _over those croissants and help us, here?" Zebra asked Quill as kindly as she could.

"Listen, you balloon animal. I haven't eaten all day and the last time I had a croissant was _five months ago_." Quill stressed, sounding accusatory. A properly done croissant was very hard to come by in Wales, and he had been suffering from withdrawals.

"It's just a croissant." Kyoya drawled as he dialed Honey's cell-phone for the tenth time.

Quill gasped, and nearly dropped his fifth croissant in shock. Of course, he caught it just in time. There would have been hell to pay otherwise.

"It's _never _just a croissant." he whispered indignantly, stroking it before he took another bite.

"He'd prostitute himself for a life-time supply." Bernadette explained to Kyoya worriedly.

Affirming this, Zebra added, "Like he hasn't done it before..." which caused Kyoya to grimace, Bernadette to blush, and Kaoru to make a mental note to go shopping for croissants later.

Quill thought about replying to the she-devil, but realized his time was better spent getting a meal into his stomach.

It was the middle of the night and the five of them had just returned from searching for Honey. Haruhi, Hikaru, and Mori had taken a different route, back-tracking every place he's been.

Of course Hikaru opted to go with the group that had a lack of Kaoru. It seemed as if he was staying as far away from him as possible, and Kaoru couldn't understand why.

Hikaru had always been drifting slowly away from the confinements of twin world, but now it seemed he was consciously making an effort to run in the opposite direction.

Not that it _bothered _Kaoru. Of course not. We all have to grow up sometime.

Meanwhile, Kyoya had just flipped his phone shut in frustration, and started to rub his eyes. They were red—no, he does not have lasers for eyes—because all he's done was stress over these damned infidels since he arrived in the foreign country. Usually, he got his family's private police task force to handle problems such as missing people, but he had a severe lack of that at the moment.

He sometimes wondered why he tolerated them, but then he soon remembered that it was because some small, ungodly portion of him actually _cared_. He shivered at the word. Kyoya's nightmares consisted of rainbows and happy endings. He didn't do well with such things.

He was born to control and delegate; to calculate. Never, not once, did caring become a part of his job description.

Yet, for someone who was conditioned not to care he cared more than he'd be willing to let on.

Bernadette, who was across the room, was the exact opposite. She had no problem displaying just how much she cared.

She wasn't always like that. She used to think that the only way to make it was to be tough. The moment you showed weakness, it was the same as dropping blood into a shark tank. It started a feeding frenzy.

But then she had met Quill and he proved that there was definitely a way to care and still appear strong.

And seeing Kyoya worry like that reminded her of the time she thought Quill had gotten injured in a riot. She wasn't sure which one. Ever since then she had been to so many that she couldn't keep them straight in her head.

It happened years ago. She was watching the news on the little crank up television located in their hang-out, which can be accurately described as a tree-house without the tree. The two of them built it themselves. It clung to the outside of the town, almost a part of it but not _quite. _It looked decrepit, but in their eyes it was the grandest place on Earth. No, wrong. It was barely on the planet, hanging on by a nail.

She could have thought about that place for hours, and if anyone asked she would have taken days to explain it. She would make sure to get every detail just right…

But it's not like anyone would care much, anyhow.

Anyway, the reporter described the victim of a stampede accident at the riot as if they were looking at a picture of Quill in their peripheral vision. It sounded like the exact event that would tantalize him, and he had been late to their study session.

She worried for an hour, but didn't cry. Some people argue that she has malfunctioning tear ducts, while she attests she wasn't born with them at all.

He showed up through the shack with an angry red mark on his cheek and his school books in hand.

That was the pre-Zebra era. The two of them were still rooted to one spot in the world, and things were a lot less frivolous in those days.

"Where were you?" she demanded. She relayed her story to Quill, who looked extremely guilty afterwards.

"I wasn't at that riot, I swear. My dad would wring my neck." She cringed at his words. He always said things like that as if it were nothing.

He deposited the books on the little desk in the corner.

_That desk, _she thought to herself, remembering, _the amount of times I banged my toe on that stupid, over-sized desk. _

She had never been too sentimental before then. That was a result of being away from home for so long. And no, she wasn't thinking of the group home.

To name it that was misleading. Her _real _home was that stupid little shack built by two misfit kids with nothing to care about but dreams and each other.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, reaching up to touch the bruise. He batted her hand away, and made a move to open up his chemistry textbook, which in turn closed all possibility of further questioning.

"If I don't pass this next exam..." he didn't finish the sentence.

She had been too relieved to see him intact to even challenge the notion.

Full of understanding, she told Kyoya and the rest of them to go to bed.

"You've done your part. Staying up and stressing won't exactly help us. Plus, you're all tired. You're not thinking straight." she explained.

Reluctantly, they all complied except for Zebra and Kaoru.

"You're staying up?" Bernadette asked.

"What else is new?" Zebra replied, and then she turned to face Kaoru, "You can head up, you know. We're responsible young adults."

"I'm not tired." _I don't like the nightmares very much._

Zebra narrowed her eyes, ready to challenge that notion. She knew the face of someone who desired sleep very well. Under his eyes appeared to be bruised. The beginning of dark circles.

"Kaoru has nightmares too." Bernadette said aloud, "But he doesn't like to talk about them. It makes him feel rather uncomfortable."

Kaoru nodded, slightly surprised. He had never told her that he felt uncomfortable talking about them. But then again, maybe the silence was confirmation enough.

They sat up, waiting for Hikaru and the others to return. Meanwhile, they entertained themselves by checking their emails.

"Hey, guess what? I got accepted to Columbia." Bernadette said absent-mindedly. It's not as if that were the first major school that offered her a scholarship.

Kaoru couldn't believe his ears. Who says something as huge as that in such an air-headed way?

"That makes one of us. They're too strict over there about grades. Now, in _Wales, _they-"

"I hate to sound like Quill, but I hated Wales. And I couldn't understand their accents sometimes. People thought I was really stupid, when I was just really American." she confessed.

"Same difference." Zebra said, and just when Bernadette was about to point out that their grades would prove otherwise, her phone began to ring.

It read: **The Evil Overlord **is calling.

"I've found him! He was under my bed, playing that blasted game. You can call the others and tell them to stop searching now." Kyoya said.

Relieved, she closed her phone and sent a mass text to everyone, letting them know Honey was safe and sound.

"Well, you know what this means." she declared.

Zebra nodded while Kaoru shook his head.

* * *

><p>"Honey, you're aware of why we gathered you here today, correct?" Zebra questioned.<p>

The teenager was mute as he continued to tap away at the game, the bluish light illuminating his face in a ghostly manner.

Mori gently tickled Honey, causing him to laugh and release grasp of the game. Bernadette picked it up and deposited it in a plastic, zip-lock bag.

When they all looked at her in confusion she replied, "For evidence." in a small voice.

They calmly explained to Honey that he had a problem. He narrowed his eyes, and listened calmly through it all. He crossed his arms, as if gearing up to say something serious, yet he was being polite and letting them finish.

"You people are _meaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn_!" he cried as he ran around the room, arms flying behind the rest of his body.

"He'll get over it." Mori declared, "That was enough…errrr…interventioning for one night."

"That's not a word." Bernadette whispered under her breath, clutching her messenger bag a little tighter than normal out of compulsion.

Tired, they all went back to their respective rooms and fell asleep. Well, except for Kyoya, Honey. Kyoya was kept up all night by Honey's continuous tantrum.

Mori had no problem sleeping, of course. He might have been the only one.

* * *

><p>"Yes, ma'am. I'd like to work for pizza hut." Tamaki said with a noble voice, "I will <em>make this pizza!<em>"

She stared at him for a moment with a very bored expression, and then sighed for an impossibly long time, to the point where Tamaki wondered if she was still breathing.

"Fill out the form." she said in a heavy Brooklyn accent, plopping down a packet of papers right in front of him.

The packet had a bunch of English words he wasn't familiar with, and was so heavy it required two hands to hold.

"But, ma'am, I'm having trouble understanding. I wanted a job, not paperwork." he expressed.

Sizing him up, she finally realized he was a foreigner. With a mock grin, she popped her gum before saying, "Welcome to America."

* * *

><p>It was a day later and Kyoya and Bernadette had already breezed through most of the police report, picking out useful information along the way.<p>

"We already know he owned the Seven Shades Night Club. But this is where it gets odd: He had zero balance in his bank account. Literally nothing. You can't open up a business on nothing." Kyoya said to Bernadette.

"Yes, you can!" Bernadette reasoned, "As long as you're qualified for a loan."

"And if he took out a _loan _that could only mean _one thing…_"

Just then the door to Kyoya's room was opened and it swung open, making him lose his train of thought. Standing there was Haruhi with a phone in her hand.

"Yes? What is it?" he said with mock-pleasantness.

"Tamaki wants to speak with you. "she said, handing him the phone.

He took it promptly, still grinning, even as he hung up and handed the phone back to Haruhi. Getting the message, she shot him a look and left, muttering something about, "rude habits".

He gave Bernadette an apologetic look, "It gets stressful."

"It's a thankless job, being a secretary." Bernadette agreed, shaking her head, "And you'd think they'd be grateful!"

"I'm not a-" he began to argue, but then realization dawned on him that was kind of true, "Next time someone asks me to do them a favor I'll bite them."

* * *

><p>"Don't be afraid to ask that Kyoya fellow what to do. It's not like he bites." Zebra said to Quill, but he still shook his head.<p>

"No. We can't. I'll have to take matters into my own hands." he declared. She groaned.

Upon examining the files, they all realized that there was a lot of information missing. They had been in such a rush to escape that they didn't succeed in saving all of it to the flash drive.

Which would explain why a few moments later they were already in their disguises and taking a taxi back to the police station. When they stepped in front of the station and peered into the glass double doors, they realized something was wrong.

A young guy, probably a temp, was staring at them with intensity. They stared back for a bit, and just when Zebra was about to go in Quill stopped her.

He pointed above the temp's head, to a wanted poster of them in costume, taken by the security camera. His mustache was askew and her wig had almost fallen off.

At that moment the temp recognized who they were, and opened his mouth, about to scream.

"Now's a good time to leave." Zebra whispered.

"Agreed."

They disappeared so quickly that by the time the police went outside, they were gone.

"They were there, I swear!" said the Temp.

"Shut up, Joseph. That's the tenth time this week." the Chief mumbled, shaking his head.

* * *

><p>"Benjamin Petrovsky." Kyoya said, dropping the stack of paper in front of Bernadette.<p>

"Who's that?" she asked.

"He's better known as Ben Tetras." Kyoya clarified.

"The model?"

"The model." he confirmed.

In the very early days of the Night Club, Ben Tetras was a very large contributor as well as a very valuable customer. He basically endorsed the club, which helped its popularity escalate. If he went there, then all the celebrities would have to be seen there was well. It was just the way it worked.

Nowadays, Ben has given up his stage name and is referred to as Mr. Petrovsky. He has settled down and decided to get into business. He ran a very successful model agency, finding a few stars of his own.

"We get to investigate _Ben Tetras_?" Bernadette sounded shocked still.

"Yes, yes. I know. He's a stud. Now that we have that established let's run a search for the address of his office." Kyoya reasoned.

Nodding, she began to run the proper searches.

* * *

><p>Hikaru and Kaoru had been assigned to the task of keeping an eye on Honey, since he was suffering withdrawal symptoms. He threated to stab himself in the hand with a pencil if they wouldn't let him play what he wanted.<p>

And that's why his hands were currently tied behind his back, and he was immersed in an episode of Sponge bob.

That gave Hikaru time to think. That was never very good. As he heard Zebra say once, "Fat lot of good thinking does. It just makes us regret. We're animals. We run on instinct."

But then again, that's because she was trying to explain away why she had "instinctually" hit Hikaru across the face for trying to wake her up that morning.

Anyway, he found himself looking back to his childhood. A lot of his memories that previously had no significance at all started to resurface. They all had double meanings.

Like whenever his mom would say, "I don't want my son dressing like a hood rat." or "Your dad called you to his office." or, "Mommy loves you."

_Lies. Lies. Lies._

He remembered all the times he'd wander off too far away from the estate, and his mom would nearly have a heart attack.

"It's not a huge deal, mom. Kaoru and I were just playing with some of the kids at the park." he'd say.

"You're not like them!" she'd stress.

He always assumed that she was stating the obvious difference between commoner and upperclassmen.

But it ran deeper than that, he understood now.

Because what if Paul Spector wasn't missing? What if he was _dead_?

And what if the people who finished him off were after him?

He dismissed the thought immediately. He doubted anyone cared enough about Paul Spector's children to save them. So why would they care enough to hunt them down and kill them?

Both took the same amount of work.

No. Taylor Spector was simply a child who got left behind. Since then, Hikaru Hitachiian took his place.

Poor Taylor. He never stood a chance.

"Hikaru? Did you hear me? I'm headed to the ice machine." Kaoru repeated.

"Okay. I'll keep an eye on Honey."

Kaoru looked at him for a moment longer, and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. Hikaru looked at him expectantly, but then Kaoru changed his mind and headed out.

* * *

><p>Tamaki was still filling out paperwork, enlisting Mori's help. After a while they both gave up and began to draw pictures as answers. Tamaki dropped off his paper work with a smile, and the lady peered at it briefly before looking back up at him.<p>

"We'll call you." she said.

As soon as he left she threw the paper in the bin.

* * *

><p>"Alright. I've got the address! Should we head there today?" Bernadette asked.<p>

"Sure. Let's tell the others, and then we can head out." Kyoya reasoned.

Bernadette still couldn't believe it. She was investigating the disappearance of Paul Spector that happened eleven years ago with a bunch of Japanese High school students and his sons, only to pay off a debt.

But that wasn't the most astonishing part. Just before they stepped away from the computer Bernadette had to whisper to herself in wonderment, "Ben _freaking _Tetras."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**I have absolutely no business taking forever to write that chapter. I really don't. But, onto some news: I got into the school play! We're doing Cabaret. Plus, school -work, forms, and believe it or not, projects. I know that's not an excuse.

Onto other news, I've kind of gotten back into the grove of this story, and I came up with a bunch of exciting ideas that'll eventually lead up to a *hopefully shocking* conclusion.

How are you guys doing?

Sincerely,

Your New Best friend (:


	7. Forgotten

**Sorry for being gone for _so long. _I'm worried this story may not even have an audience anymore. But, here's another update, if there's anyone left D: Again, super sorry. I've just been extremely busy. I can't make promises, but I'll definitely try to update faster. **

**Anyways, enjoy (:**

* * *

><p>"You just get curiouser and curiouser." Quill mumbled to himself, citing a quote from a children's book as he watched Kaoru go through another nightmare. It was different every night. Sometimes, he'd yell out in his native tongue. Yet, there were those rare instances when he suffered in silence. It wasn't very different from when he was awake.<p>

This was one of the screaming nights.

"Wake him up, will you?" Bernadette urged.

"Not just yet. Wait a few moments." Quill stated.

Kaoru then began to shout a string of words, which were still in Japanese.

"Oh, for God's sake, Quill-" she started, but he shushed her as he concentrated.

"Help…help…" Quill whispered to himself, "It's coming for me. Help…"

Bernadette stopped, finally realizing that Quill was doing his best to translate. His Japanese wasn't brilliant, but he was picking up key phrases.

"Oh God…Oh God…." Quill began to write it down.

She couldn't bear to hear Kaoru suffer any longer, so avidly, she hissed, "_Wake up."_

"No! He hasn't ever said this much before." he countered.

"You've done this _before_?"

Her shrill yelling woke Kaoru up. He sprang up violently, gasping for air, his eyes looking around the room nervously. When he realized where he was, he grinned sheepishly at the two worried people in front of him.

They all went back to sleep eventually, except for Quill. Because he noticed that Kaoru had said something different tonight. He had not said _he was coming for me, _but rather _**it **__was coming for me._

What could have been so horrible that Kaoru no longer recognized it as a human being?

**The next morning**

"Well, isn't _this _nice." Hikaru commented as he looked at all the bikini models walking around.

"Yes, it is." Kaoru said, whistling as a few attractive men walked by.

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the spectacle that was the twins. Out of all the places in the _universe _to bring them, Kyoya and Bernadette conjured up a modeling studio.

"Wow, that dress is _so gorgeous!_" gushed Zebra as she saw an amazon of a woman walk by in high-heels, in a long flowing blue dress.

"That, my friend is a Hitachiian original." boasted Hikaru, "I was there the day my mother designed it."

"Stop gawking, Zee. It won't fit you." Quill muttered.

"I bet my _fist _can fit up your-"

Just then a very clean cut man walked into the room with such a presence that everything going on in the lobby was hushed. He put on a charming smile, and regarded the group through black, thick-rimmed glasses. His suit was made out of the finest cotton and silk, his dress shirt's collar fashioned out of chiffon.

He put one hand in the air, as if signaling someone. Instantly, a team of people with clipboards ran up to him.

"Mrs. Myles called today. She thanked you for inviting her to the wedding." said one of the assistants.

"I'm just glad she could make it. She missed my other five." he noted, and then told the assistant she could leave.

In turn, the other people all delivered their messages and he dismissed them accordingly. There was only one person left who was taking up his time. She was standing in direct line of Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiian.

And then the man made a mistake. One simple mistake that would cost him everything one day. He looked over her shoulder. He looked one of the Hitachiian's in the eye. Instantly, he turned as white as sheet rock. Shakily, he pointed one hand at the offender.

"_Out!_" he ordered, "_Get him out of here!_"

The woman looked over her shoulder and met eyes with the Hitachiian.

She calmly walked over and addressed him.

"I'm sorry, but you appear to have caused an upset. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." she said politely.

A few incidents later, the assistant called the man, the all famous Mr. Tetras, on the phone.

"Yes, Delilah?" he asked.

"Sir, there's a problem." she said, and he could hear shuffling going on around her, and then her saying, "No, you can't! You're not allowed. I'm _warning _you-"

"What's the issue?" he asked, sighing.

Just then, a dark-haired adolescent, as well as the red-head from earlier, and a _twin _entered his office.

Fearfully, the assistant also made her way into the office.

"Well, sir," she started, "there's two of them."

After Kyoya took the liberty to explain the situation, Mr. Tetras stared from behind his desk, shell-shocked.

"So," he said tiredly, "He had _sons_."

Hikaru and Kaoru often wondered why people always reacted that way.

"I apologize for being so rude earlier. I-I had thought I was seeing a ghost." Mr. Tetras leaned over to touch Hikaru's face, as if to make sure he was real. Hikaru, instinctually, smacked his hand away.

"Phenomenal." he whispered, hints of a Swedish accent emerging, the same one he had tried to hide since he was a child.

"So," Kyoya asked, breaking his trance, "Do you have any leads of where he could have gone?"

"I've been asked that so many times." Mr. Tetras started, warily, "I was one of the main suspects. Back when they thought it was a murder."

"And?" Kaoru asked.

"Catch up with the times, dearie. No one would have wasted the energy to kill him. The man was a hollow shell. An addict." smugly, he leaned over to directly address the twins, "He was as _good as dead_."

_**Five minutes later**_

Mr. Tetras was holding a tissue up to his bloody nose, howling in pain, as Hikaru got forcefully escorted out of the office, along with Kyoya, and Kaoru.

"Did you see him? He had such a smug look on his face. Well, he won't look as handsome with a crooked nose." Hikaru reasoned.

"Why must you be so rash?" Kyoya asked.

"No. He did the right thing. That man deserved it." Kaoru smiled at Hikaru, "The proud bastard."

Quill was in the middle of nicking food from the snack bar when he was also forcefully dragged out. Zebra was flirting with one of the models (who was _so _not into her) when she was taken. Mori had to be escorted out in hand-cuffs, considering he kicked the guard's ass when he tried to lay a hand on Honey.

Bernadette left willingly. She knew it was a bad idea from the beginning.

* * *

><p>Haruhi had been waiting outside anyhow, giving Tamaki directions on how to get there. But then the rest of the Host Club was kicked out of the building.<p>

"Nevermind. Tell the taxi man to go back to the hotel." she sighed.

"So, did you guys find out anything?" Haruhi asked.

"No." Hikaru said, disappointedly.

"I beg to differ." Bernadette said, holding up a flash-drive.

Everyone looked at her, surpised. How…?

"God, you're brilliant. I could kiss you!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Don't." she said, her face screwed up in disgust, "Germs."

* * *

><p>Bernadette read over all she could find on the flash-drive. While everyone was busy fussing about, she had talked to one of Tetras's secretaries. Because everyone knows the secretary knows things that can ruin their boss's life, considering people often forget they're human.<p>

It took about five minutes of small talk and the information was practically hers.

But what really had her going was what exactly Paul Spector did to piss Ben Tetras off.

"He damaged his face." Bernadette mumbled to Kyoya.

"What?" he said. He was at the one desk available in the suite while Bernadette was on the floor of his hotel room, laptop in front of her whiles he was stomach down, typing away. Because he insisted on needing a desk to work while she could work in the midst of a hurricane if the situation called for it.

"Paul Spector damaged Ben's face. Spector was high, and he crashed a car, which led to Tetras getting a scar on his face." she elaborated.

"But his face looked just fine." Kyoya reasoned.

"It says here that Ben spends thousands of dollars on make-up supplies a year. But people have simply assumed it was for his wife, Deborah." she explained.

Kyoya was getting the magnetitude of what Bernadette was, and resisted the urge to jump up and down.

That would explain why Ben gave up being a model when he was reaching the height of his career. No one wanted to work with damaged goods...

"So, that explains why he hates him so much. But what does that have to do with it?" Kyoya asked.

"Ben had mailed out an official order to a man named Thomas Berry. By day, he's the multi-millionaire in charge of-"

"Berry Industries, I know. We do business with them. All I have to do is drop the Ootori name and we'll be given VIP passes. But what has he got to do with it?" Kyoya asked. But, then realization dawned on him.

By day, Berry was a successful business man. But by night, he was a hitman. How did Kyoya know? Because his father had put in an order a few times himself, and had bribed Kyoya to look the other way.

"So, he orders Berry to kill Spector. So, Paul Spector was killed by Berry. Case-closed." Kyoya reasoned.

"_Not _case-closed. Because the job was never _finished. _A few days later, Mr. Tetras got a letter from Mr. Berry. It starts off saying this:

**Dear Mr. Tetras,**

**Paul Spector escaped. I have no clue where he's gone. I have my best men working to find him as we speak. Don't worry. We will find him, I assure you. But in the meantime, out of good faith, I must return the deposit check you have given me. I'll contact you as soon as I can.**

Kyoya shook his head, "That doesn't make sense. From what I've heard, Paul wasn't some expert in disguise...but _Berry _was."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Bernadette asked.

Just then a mass erupted from the sheets that were tangled up on Kyoya's head, saying,_"Bloody hell!_ Berry's hiding Spector!"

Bernadette yelped, and Kyoya flinched before regaining his composure, "I thought I said you weren't allowed in here while us _professionals _are busy at work."

"I know, I know." said Zebra, "But you two are so secretive. Plus, I just helped you deduce something. Now, what are we waiting for? Let's go beat this Thomas Berry fellow with a stick until we get some answers."

Kyoya sighed and Bernadette began making phone-calls.

* * *

><p>Quill gazed on with a big smile as he faced the group of people before him. He had pulled a few strings and gotten them to all meet him at the mall that day.<p>

He found himself keen on helping Kaoru and Hikaro. Not just because he owed a debt, but because he found them to be peculiar.

He was used to two kinds of people: rich and happy, and poor and broken. These twins; these devils, they seemed to be a mutt of some sort; a hybrid of both.

They represented the _rich and the broken_—a new concept to Quill, who grew up believing money could cure everything.

A small, naive part of him still did.

_"A phobia of the rich" _Bernadette had so tastefully put it. In actuality, he had a phobia of the fortunate, the happy, and the boasting.

Being rich had nothing to do with it.

"Thank you all for coming. I have gathered you all here today because a recent case has been brought to my attention. We're all familiar with the case of _Paul Spector."_

The group of people collectively groaned. Leave it to Quill to waste everyone's time.

"No, no. Stop it, you guys. Don't give me the stink eye, Brian."

Brian waved his cane at the rebellious youth.

Compared to Brian, Quill might as well have been five years old, considering Brian was eighty-five.

Because Quill had recruited at a place where people went to die. He had recruited at a nursing home.

"You, of all people, should know what I'm trying to do here! Can't you see?" he asked, incredulously. He looked them all in the eye.

"Just because something is old, and in the past, doesn't mean it should be forgotten." he memorized every line and crease in each of their faces, every scar on every piece of visible skin. Society had let them slip through the cracks, "I haven't given up on any of you. So, please, for the love of God, don't give up on Paul Spector."

They were speachless. One woman, Regina, who had a severe case of arthritis, used all of her strength to clap for the remarkable young man. The rest of them followed suit.

Hikaru and Kaoru stood amazed at how Quill bent a whole crowd of people to his will with mere words. It was funny. One could compare him to the one thing he hated most: the politician.

But the difference between a politician and Quill is that every word Quill says is sincere.

"So, considering our little search party is about seventeen years late, I suggest we start off with something simple, re-hanging up posters." He handed the posters out to the crowd.

They were digitally remastered, and had two pictures: one of how Paul looked when he was last scene, and one of how he might look in current times.

"We'll find him." Quill promised the twins, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. He surprised at how hung up he had gotten about it.

A small part of him felt the battle was personal. Because he was the kind of person who society had given up on, too.

It was some last-ditch effort to show society that he could not be written off as some criminal, bound to rott in prison for being _different._

He wasn't down yet. He'd go out fighting.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN**: I'm apologizing for a second time. Super sorry! Also, my worry is that Quill is coming across as some perfect do-gooder. Which is why it needed to be demonstrated in this chapter that the reason he does what he does is because of a screwed up, neglected child-hood, and sometimes he does what he does for selfish reasons. That's basically a summation. Just know this: I can't write perfect people. So, if a character ever comes across as that I'm not executing my writing clearly enough._

_Thanks again for reading. And remember: We're all people. All of us. We all have pasts, and we all have futures._

_Sincerely,_

_Your New Best Friend_


	8. Figures

_A/N: Another update after forever and a day. This is a short chapter, but I feel what I wrote is enough to express what's going on. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Living in a hell-hole isn't fun. Feeling less than others isn't great. And being picked on every day because one's shirt looks like it's been through a civil war with one's pants is so. not. cool.<p>

So, Quill had decided long ago that that wasn't the life for him. He was tired of his Dad, tired of that godforsaken town, and tired of Bernadette being the only good thing life had to offer.

So, he started travelling, initially, to go site-seeing. He wanted to see everything beautiful the world had to offer because he thought it would make up for all of the ugliness.

But it was everywhere. There was no such place as paradise, no wonderland, no utopia.

And for a while he was shell-shocked into calling his father.

"Can I come back home?" he asked, trying hard to make it sound as if he didn't care one way or the other. That's what pissed his Dad off the most about him; the fact that he took nothing seriously.

"So you can be a parasitic couch-potato? I don't think so." his so called father replied.

"Wow. You had to break out the dictionary for that one, didn't you?" Quill commented. The next sound he heard was a click. He followed suit and hung up the phone.

That occurred before Wales. That was back when he was absolutely lost, and would have genuinely taken the abuse over being all alone in the world.

He hadn't talked to his father ever since.

Until now.

His phone began to ring as he was hanging up the last photo in his area of the mall, and he picked it up without even thinking.

"Quill?" the voice on the other end asked, voice laced with anxiety and fear. It had aged tremendously, and was far less confident than he remembered. But he didn't hesitate in knowing who it was.

"Dad." he stated, trying not to sound surprised. The fact was, he had changed his number so many times that it was a shock his father could even contact him.

"Quill, how are you?"

He laughed. He laughed harder than he ever had in a while.

"How much are they offering you?" he asked.

"What?" his father attempted to play innocent, but his voice cracked.

"_How much are the police paying you?_" he practically seethed.

His father stammered on the other end. He hung up his cellphone, and then threw it in the nearest garbage can. They probably thought they could track him or something. Wrong.

Kaoru had observed the whole thing, only catching half of the conversation. Although, he had never seen Quill so genuinely upset before. Everything seemed to be skin deep with Quill, and no emotion had ever settled before. But this time it was different. Confusion, betrayal, and anger settled deep down into his gut.

"Your father doesn't sound like such a pleasant man." Kaoru remarked sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't really the best son." Quill admitted.

Kaoru nodded, letting the information sink in, before replying:

"Your one of the most amazing people I know."

Quill began to chuckle, but Kaoru quickly defended his notion.

"No, _seriously. _Everyone is just so vapid and shallow and _stupid_. They don't seem to understand that they're not the center of the universe. Every single thought they have is about _themselves. _But you're different than them. It's like…I don't know, you don't have the disease the rest of them do. You're our future. Don't ever cheat yourself by not admitting that."

Kaoru had turned extremely red after he realized how crazy he sounded. Sure, he had idolized Quill, but had never said it aloud. He was afraid the former-hippie would shy away from him, or give him a weird look. But Quill did what Quill did best: he smiled it off.

Kaoru walked ahead, embarrassed, before he heard Quill say something else.

"Ditto."

* * *

><p>Quill went away to go find Brian and the others. Meanwhile, Hikaru had witnessed everything, and waited until Kaoru was next to him, before he whispered vehemently, "So, I'm vapid and shallow now, huh?"<p>

Kaoru looked at him crookedly, "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Everyone is just so vapid and shallow and-and _stupid_." Hikaru mimicked angrily, "It's like, this guy is brain-washing you. Like all of a sudden he's the only good thing in your terrible life, or something. Don't forget, we're _rich_. In other words, we were _happy._"

"Well that shows how much you _know_." his twin mumbled, hurt, "Plus, you're not a part of 'everyone'."

"Oh, God, you're so full of it. You think you can just say some crap line and I'll buy it? FYI, I'm not one of your mindless fuck buddies, okay. I know when you're being sincere and when you're not." Hikaru said, starting to raise his voice.

Kaoru couldn't understand why he was lashing out all of a sudden. Hikaru was indeed prone to mood-swings, but he had never been so malicious.

"What are you talking about?" Kaoru's voice was slightly above a whisper, since he feared they were attracting attention.

"I see the way you look at him, Kaoru! You know _exactly _what I'm talking about. You barely know him, yet want to get into Quill's _pants. _That is, if you're not already there!"

At that moment there was an audible gasp behind them. Quill, along with all the old people had walked up to the two of them at that moment. Kaoru glared at Hikaru furiously, and ran away, angrily wiping the tears from his eyes so he could see where he was going.

Quill, meanwhile, stood dumbfounded. He stayed rooted to the spot, jaw hanging.

* * *

><p>"So, how's the job search going?" Haruhi asked Tamaki. He simply grimaced in reply.<p>

The two of them had been side by side at a library, going through records to see if they could find any useful information to help Kyoya and Bernadette.

"You should try working in the mall. They'll practically hire anyone. Especially attractive people." Haruhi said.

All of a sudden both of them stopped working and looked at each other.

"What are we waiting for?" Tamaki asked, "To the mall!"

They dropped every file they were looking at and hopped in the nearest taxi.

* * *

><p>Bernadette had been in the middle of scheduling an appointment with Mr. Berry when she got a call on the other line. It was from Quill, and she gathered it to be urgent, so she answered.<p>

"Bernie, that you?" he questioned, sounding completely distraught.

"Who else?" she responded coyly, "What's up?"

"I overheard a conversation the twins were having." Quill started.

Bernadette sighed, "What's that old saying? 'Haters gon' hate?' Well, yeah. Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

"No, they weren't saying anything _bad _per se." he struggled with the right words, and then simply decided he'd throw all caution to the wind, "Point blank is: someone has a _crush _on me. Or some fantasy about me. Or something like that. But I'm not sure how to deal with it."

"Oh my." was all Bernadette could say, then after she processed what he implied she said, "Good luck with that!"

"Wai-" he started to say, but she had already hung up.

She was inept in subjects of love.

_**Meanwhile**_

Kaoru couldn't understand what would possess Hikaru to say something like that in public. The worst part about it was that it was _kind of _true. He did take well to Quill, due to the fact that he was a hormonal teenage boy and Quill was kind of _perfect. _But it wasn't just a shallow crush. He adored everything about Quill, from the way he smiled to the way he bit his lip when in deep thought.

Not that it mattered if it were true or not. He had never intended to _reveal _any of that.

But now Quill knew and was surely disgusted and would never speak to him ever again. At the moment, he was hiding out in a stall in the men's room.

Just then, as a group of loud teenagers exited the bathroom, someone else entered. He peered over the stall to see that it was _him _and quickly went back down. He put his feet up just in case Quill thought to look under it.

As time passed he began to speak on the phone with someone.

"Yeah, we're getting ready to head back to the hotel now. I'm just trying to gather up everyone." just then he looked straight ahead of him as he heard the sound of shuffling feet from one of the stalls.

Praying he was right and not mistaken, he looked under the stall. He saw Kaoru there, not the least bit surprised that he had been found. He let himself out of the stall and faced the American, yet refused to look him in the eye.

"Kiddo…" Quill started, and Kaoru's heart stopped accordingly.

_Kiddo, _he says. It hurt Kaoru a lot more than he thought it would. He always knew these feelings weren't reciprocated, but having it _validated _was the worst.

"Don't." Kaoru interrupted him harshly, gathering the courage to look him in the eye, even while burning up with shame.

Looking pained, Quill nodded. The two of them exited the room, neither of them saying a word as they went to go find Hikaru and the senior citizens.

* * *

><p>"They hired me on the spot!" Tamaki exclaimed as he walked out of the mall's Abercrombie store, "Of course I have an interview but they're saying it's just a formel…formil…formack…"<p>

"Formality?" Haruhi offered up and Tamaki nodded.

No wonder they hired him. He was all beauty and no brains, just how they liked their employees. Sure, he may have had an incident or two with a few of the female customers, but that would all be remedied in training. Or so they hoped.

* * *

><p>After the aide came to pick up the senior citizens, Quill and the twins took a cab to the hotel. The three of them didn't say much to each other, Quill wedged between the two of them to avoid them raking each other's eyes out or worse.<p>

"We got a lot done today!" he offered up his encouraging words to break the silence, "I bet Mr. Spector will wind up on our door by tomorrow."

Hikaru offered up a grunt that might have been agreement, while Kaoru nodded.

Quill began to bite his lip in thought, having no clue how much his actions were torturing the younger twin.

* * *

><p>Bernadette called everyone up to Kyoya's hotel room, and they all gathered into the small space to discuss further course of action.<p>

"First of all, congratulations on your new job, Tamaki. We'll be needing all the extra money we can get." Kyoya started.

"I second the notion. But that aside, I've scheduled a meeting with Mr. Berry." Bernadette revealed, "But not all of us will be able to go, considering what happened last time."

There came a chorus of complaints, until Zebra stood up on the desk and declared loudly, "_SHUT IT!_"

"Alright, alright. Just get down before you break that thing." Quill reasoned, slowly getting back into a light-hearted mood.

She cast him a glare and Bernadette continued, "But, of course, Mr. Berry is a very, um, how should I put this…_promiscuous _man. So our best bet is to get someone attractive."

"Looks like a job for me!" declared Zebra valiantly.

The activist began to snicker uncontrollably, but a glare from the Shadow King shushed him accordingly.

"No, Zee. Mr. Berry has more of an inclination towards males." she said tastefully.

Every host, sans Haruhi, immediately grew still. Bernadette's prying eyes had a roomful of attractive guys to choose from for her objectivee, but she just didn't know _who. _She had already eliminated Honey, since he appeared too young. Next, Tamaki, because…yeah. After that, Mori, simply because he was too quiet to interrogate. So that left Kyoya, Hikaru, and Kaoru.

"Since I figured all of this out, I exempt myself from this little outing." Kyoya stated. Hmmm, fair enough.

So that left the twins. She knew her pick instantly. And no, she was not a bigot. It had nothing to do with sexuality. She simply picked the more level-headed twin.

"Kaoru can go. The meeting is at two tomorrow. I'll go with you." Bernadette reasoned.

They all left to go to bed. It had been a long day for many of them. Kaoru had walked out of the hallway, when all of a sudden Hikaru stopped him.

"Listen, I shouldn't have said what I said earlier." he apologized awkwardly, "It's just that…I was feeling a bit left out. You and him just get along so _flawlessly _and I-well, forget it."

"No, go ahead. I want to hear what you have to say about ruining everything for me." Kaoru stated, looking at Hikaru smugly. He _hated _that look.

It was a look that showed authority, and made Kaoru look posh and upper-class. Even if he _was _upperclass, that lineage applied to Hikaru as well. Although, that _look _implied otherwise.

"What makes you so much better than me, huh?" Hikaru yelled, words leaving him so suddenly he surprised himself. But it felt _so right _to let it all out, so he continued, "We have the same _rotten _DNA, don't we? So what makes you better?"

Judging by the look on Kaoru's face, he clearly didn't understand what he was talking about, so he clarified.

In a tired, quiet voice, a voice belonging to an insecure little boy from years ago, Hikaru asked, "What made Dad keep you instead?"

So there it was. He said it. He finally said it.

He had been so keen on ignoring it, pretending that the little fact didn't exist; that it was irrelevant. But it _mattered. He _mattered. It had been sitting heavily upon his chest for a while now. It made him feel so _God damn insignificant. _Less than the ants crawling around in the dirt.

But, of course, the better version of himself stared at him in confused silence, feigning ignorance of the answer.

"Figures." Hikaru mumbled, and he turned around, slowly making his way down the hallway and to his room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **There you have it. A chapter centered around the twins. After all, they _are _the main characters (supposedly). They both had different things to reveal, one of them being a bit obvious, while I attempted to make Hikaru's feelings a bit more _hush hush. _I think it fits with their personalities.

Thanks for reading! I'll try to update more quickly in the future.

-Your New Best Friend


	9. That's More Like It

_This chapter was very fun to write for me, and in my opinion was long overdue. It's more character driven, then anything. Which is a fancy way to say there's a whole lot of nothing. But I still like it, for some reason. Enjoy (:_

* * *

><p>Hikaru brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas, and settled down into bed. He couldn't sleep because his head was swirling with thoughts. He wondered if he would ever look back on everything one day and think about how foolish and young he had been, and how he regretted what he said. But some part of him strongly doubted it. Because the fact was, here and <em>now, <em>he didn't regret a word of it.

He wouldn't have decided to keep those feelings bottled inside. It could have resulted in something a lot worse than an outburst.

"Are you alright, Hikaru?" Tamaki asked. The sound of his voice startled him. He thought he had been asleep.

"No." Hikaru told the truth. He couldn't bring himself to lie to the simple-minded teen. Lying to Tamaki must surely be a sin in some religion, "You?"

"Me neither." Tamaki answered. Hikaru wanted to ask him what was wrong. What could Tamaki Suoh possibly have to worry about? Then he remembered that his boss was more complex than people cared to think. It was easier to assume he was stupid, rich, and happy.

"I've just been feeling like shit the past couple of days." Hikaru admitted.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not." Tamaki offered up.

And for some odd reason, the simple words had been enough.

* * *

><p>Kaoru, Quill, and Bernadette were preparing for the night. This was one of the few times when all three of them were in a room together and utterly silent.<p>

Kaoru was suffering from that weird cross-road we all encounter when we don't know what to feel. He felt angry at Hikaru for being a dick, angry at Quill for still being so nice that it was almost pity, and angry at himself for being stupid and developing such feelings to begin with.

He was mostly angry at himself.

It was so odd. He came to America to discover more about his roots, but he now realized that he could honestly care less. He thought it was important, in the beginning, but he found that finding his Dad was going lower and lower on his priority list.

Instead he's taken to being a dopey, love-struck teenager. Gross.

People like him didn't get crushes. They just didn't. He was far too caught up in things that he thought was so much more _important, _like pranks and mischief and toying with people's emotions.

But then he realized none of that was ever _him. _It was his brother who enjoyed all of those things, and he would just follow like a lost puppy.

_It was Hikaru who wanted to find their father. Not Kaoru. Kaoru wanted it to stay buried._

"Excuse me, you two…" Kaoru muttered as he got up and made his way toward the door.

"Where are you headed?" Bernadette asked, getting up from bed to look at him curiously. It was a weird time of night to be roaming.

"To go set my brother on fire." Kaoru replied before walking out of the door.

Bernadette and Quill took a moment to look at each other, confused and tired.

"Good luck, dearie!" Bernadette said tiredly.

"Make your Dad proud, son." Quill added, delusional from lack of sleep.

They both dropped back down and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

><p>Tamaki heard a knock on the door. Not wanting to wake Hikaru up, he quietly slipped on some bunny slippers and made his way toward the door.<p>

He opened it, felt what could only be described as a punch to the face, and went down instantly.

Hikaru, hearing the commotion, got out of bed and went to the door. The first thing he saw was Tamaki out cold on the ground. The next thing he saw was that blasted twin kneeling down next to him, trying to wake him up.

"Sorry, boss. I thought you were Hikaru." he whispered in an amused tone. He then looked up to see the actual Hikaru standing there, looking slightly feverish in the dull lighting. Kaoru couldn't tell what he was feeling, his expression was blank.

"I'd hate to be you when the boss wakes up." Hikaru drawled in his usual I'm-better-than-everyone tone. No one would've guessed how inferior he truly felt. That was probably the way he wanted it.

Kaoru let that fact soak in for a bit. Hikaru was a douchebag because he couldn't cope with his feelings—Kaoru had always known that much to be true. But it never fully sunk in until that day. It didn't make him any less mad at his twin, but it took away the sting a little.

"I'm not going to apologize, if that's what you're waiting for." Hikaru continued.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't forgive you anyway, asshole." Kaoru answered back.

The two smiled at each other, some unknown force tugging the corners of their lips upward.

"Good." Hikaru countered, "I wouldn't want you to get any funny ideas, you know, that I actually appreciate you as a brother."

"Oh, lord, no. And I wouldn't want you to think I'm grateful to you for always being there, or anything." his twin answered.

"I'm glad we cleared that up. Now get out of my room before I kick your ass." Hikaru said.

"I was leaving anyway." his brother countered, knocking a few things over on his way out.

* * *

><p>"WAKEY WAKEY, MY LOVELIES!" Quill exclaimed, opening the curtains so light would spill in and illuminate every corner of the room, "We have a long day ahead of us."<p>

Kaoru woke up slowly, being blinded by the light. Yet, slowly he came to his senses. He realized something very odd.

"I didn't have a nightmare last night." he mumbled to himself, reveling in the small victory.

Bernadette was already up and getting ready in the bathroom, and Quill was quietly rummaging through his wardrobe, purposefully avoiding eye-contact with Kaoru as he said, "Looks like someone had a pleasant night of sleep."

"What tipped you off?" Kaoru wondered aloud.

"Because you're smiling." Quill said, looking up briefly, but then looking back down, taking a sudden fascination in the craftsmanship of the wooden knobs on the drawers.

"So? People smile."

"Not you. Not really."

Kaoru didn't understand it. How could someone so keen on being left alone do everything in their power to make people want to love them. It's like he went around with a neon sign that said: EAT YOUR HEART OUT, BITCHES.

"Thanks for noticing?" Kaoru said, playing it cool. On the inside he was doing somersaults.

"You should smile more often. It suits you." Quill went on, absent-mindedly. He held up a t-shirt, sniffed it, cringed, and then balled it up and threw it to the side.

_LET ME LOVE YOU, _Kaoru's mind was yelling at him.

Just in time to save Kaoru from saying something really embarrassing, Bernadette emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

"Kaoru, hurry up and take a shower. And wear something that makes you look like…like a…" she was searching for the right word.

"Like an eager whore?" Quill suggested.

_I'LL BE AN EAGER WHORE FOR YOU_, Kaoru continued, then nearly beat himself up for even thinking that.

Quill looked directly at him, as if he _heard _what Kaoru said, then looked down quickly and began to toy with a loose thread on his shirt sleeve.

_What if he's reading my mind. Oh dear, oh dear, _Kaoru rambled on irrationally.

"Exactly. Like an eager whore." Bernadette said decisively.

"But I don't really own anything like that." he admitted.

"There's nothing that Zebra and a pair of scissors can't fix." she answered him.

He took a quick shower, and came out to find one of his form-fitting white t-shirts fashioned into a low v-neck. That was paired up with a nice leather jacket that he had gotten for his birthday one year.

It really wasn't too bad at all. In fact, it looked like something he would actually wear.

And then he got to the pants.

"These aren't pants." he reasoned, looking at the pile of fabric in front of him, "They're just strings."

"Less means more. That's what Mama Zebra has always taught me." Zebra said.

"Well, your Mom wasn't exactly the best role-model. Let's not forget that one incident when she tried to grab my ass at dinner."

"She saw _lint _on your bum. She was being motherly." she countered.

As the two continued their argument Kaoru put on the outfit.

"At least I didn't have a pony-tail of pube hairs attached to my head for the past…" Zebra and Quill both stopped arguing to stare at Kaoru.

Zebra hadn't realized how attractive Kaoru was until that moment. Sure, she always noticed Hikaru was, and it would have been logical for Kaoru to be attractive as well, since they were identical twins. But the thought didn't permeate until that moment. Kaoru was no longer the little boy with the nightmares. He looked _great_.

And here she was. Stuck with the nightmares _and _a bad hair-cut. How pleasant.

"It's hideous." Quill said as Zebra said, "It's _perfect_."

Kaoru, who thought Zebra was being sarcastic, grumbled something while taking the bed-sheets and wrapping it around his whole person.

Bernadette arrived with Kyoya in tow. When he entered the room, he adopted a look of shock.

"Is _that _the outfit?" Kyoya questioned, looking at the bed sheets hanging off of Kaoru's frame.

"No. The outfit is under that." Bernadette said, wrestling with Kaoru for the sheets. It took a total of five minutes for him to relent and let the sheets drop to the ground.

Kyoya's eyes immediately grew wide, and he began to pull at his collar uncomfortably, "I-Is it a bit stuffy in here? I think a window ought to be opened." he said in an abnormally high pitched voice as he walked across the room.

Now _that _was odd behavior, Kaoru noted.

When he met with the rest of the Host Club he got a lot of stares. Tamaki was covering Haruhi's eyes.

"Where'd the rest of your pants go?" Honey asked when Mori instantly carted him off to the vending machine.

He was standing in front of the glass doors of the hotel, and many business women stopped on their way to work to gawk at him. A few smiled flirtatiously.

Kaoru tried to tell himself this was good. If the women liked it, Thomas Berry would like it, and if Thomas Berry liked it maybe he could coax information out of him.

"Why are you dressed like a whore?" Hikaru questioned bluntly.

"The same reason you're a red-head." Kaoru answered.

Hikaru looked at him, confused, so Kaoru said the following:

"I'm on the right track, baby. I was born this way."

And with that he pushed the glass doors open and marched out.

Bernadette and Kaoru were in a cab, on their way to Berry Industries. Kaoru was completely silent, his heart nearly bursting out of his chest. He was going to actually _flirt _his way into a man's heart just to get information? Would he really go _that low_?

Well, yes. That's why he was in the cab after all.

They went through the lobby and Bernadette checked in with the front desk. They said Mr. Berry was in a meeting and was running a bit late, then said that we could wait outside of his office for him.

"Don't say anything unless I tell you to." Bernadette reminded him.

"Got it, boss." he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I'm serious." she remarked one last time, and then they were called into his office.

A handsome, reserved man looked up warmly from a desk. He looked like an older version of Kyoya. They weren't really carbon copies or anything, but the mannerisms and composure were the same. That just made things one-hundred times creepier.

Mr. Berry glared at Kaoru, but it wasn't in a predatorily way like Kaoru predicted. He looked properly frightened of the sight before him. Of course, he was nearly expert at hiding it. It was just in Kaoru's nature to pick up little things.

"You're by no chance related to Paul Spector, are you?" Mr. Berry asked.

The question hung in the air like poisonous gas, and everyone seemed to want to avoid it. But it just sunk lower and lower as the silence grew heavier and heavier.

He just put it out in the open, just like that. Bernadette knew Mr. Berry was going to be an odd one, but he was one of the few people that brought up the topic before anyone else.

"I'm his son." Kaoru said, and Bernadette shot him a glare. She could be very feisty when she was ready.

Mr. Berry sighed, and began to rub at his temples as if to combat an oncoming headache. He then rubbed at his eyes as if trying to rub away the sight before him. And Kaoru almost felt bad for bothering this poor man, drudging up the past like this.

"So, where are the police? I'm sure you've gone to have me arrested for murder." Mr. Berry said, beginning to get up and pack his things into his drawer.

"We haven't called the police." Bernadette told him, "Because we know you haven't murdered Paul Spector."

This thought seemed to be more frightening than going to jail, because he began to insist he did. He even went into detail, throwing in dates and locations. The two didn't buy a word of it.

Mr. Berry realized how clever they were, and that's when he really began to scan the two of them. Kaoru noticed how his eyes lingered on Kaoru's physique, and was creeped out and pleased all at once.

He licked his lips before saying, "How about we all go out to dinner to discuss this?" he addressed both of them but his eyes were still trained on Kaoru.

"I'm busy later today. But I'm sure he's free, right, Kaoru?" Bernadette prompted.

He shot her a dirty look at Bernadette while saying, "Of course."

"Even better. Seven, at Le Chambre du Maitre? My treat?" he prompted.

Kaoru agreed, gave him the address of the hotel, and then rushed out of the office.

"This is going so _well_." Bernadette stressed.

"I think I'm going to be sick." he revealed, looking a bit green, "What if he's taking me to a bar? Or a strip club? What if he's taking me to a _strip bar_?"

"Relax. I'm sure everything will be peachy." to put his mind at ease she looked up the restaurant, "He's taking you to a small French restaurant. Expensive, too. We might have to get you more…appropriate clothing."

Kaoru thanked the gods, and then got into the taxi and counted the hours until his little outing.

It turned out Bernadette was actually busy, because after the taxi man dropped Kaoru off in front of the hotel, she continued on to somewhere else.

It was midday in New York City, so the hallways and lobby were mostly clear. By the time he made it up to his room, he had already taken off his leather jacket. He used his room key to open the door, walked in, and was greeted by—

"OOPS I DID IT AGAIN. I PLAYED WITH YOUR HEART. GOT LOST IN THE GAME! OH BABY BABY."

—Quill singing along to Brittney Spears.

How is he _not _gay?, Kaoru thought for the umpteenth time that day.

Quill seemed not to see him, so Kaoru went behind the doorway and watched him for a bit.

And then he started to get undressed.

"Now, you have one of two options." Kaoru reasoned to himself, "You can watch the love of your life get undressed, lower your self-esteem into the negative numbers, and end up killing yourself, _or _you can walk away with a little dignity."

But then Quill started taking off his shirt and Kaoru's only thought was, "_To hell with dignity!"_

But as soon as he began to take off his pants he thought about how he'd feel if some creep was watching him get undressed, and decided against it. He announced his presence before barging in.

"Oh, hi." Quill said formally, shutting off the music. Kaoru noticed how Quill seemed to be ten times less comfortable being shirtless around him. But he had to give the guy props. Most people were uncomfortable the moment they found out he was gay, not even bothering to realize that he did not have a crush on every guy he saw.

Just some of them. Like in this case.

"I heard things went well with Mr. Berry." Quill said, not looking him in the eye when all Kaoru wanted to do was be the subject of his brilliantly thoughtful, hazel gaze.

"Yes, we have a date this afternoon." he continued in a depressed tone.

Quill finally looked up at him, eyebrows knitted in concern, "I don't really like the idea of you going on an outing with some sex-crazed former-assassin."

"I'm sure I'll repel him. You know, me being _hideous, _and all." Kaoru said coldly, recounting what Quill said that morning. He pretended not to hear him, but in reality he did, and it hurt. What if that was why Quill had rejected him? What if it simply came down to the fact that he wasn't _attractive _enough?

"You know that's not what I meant. I was talking about the outfit. Plus, I was simply saying that to get on Zebra's nerves." he argued, "I think you look great in it. But then again, you look great just being yourself, too."

Kaoru's hands were balled into fists, and he was shaking. He felt tears developing, but he blinked them back.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked.

"What?" Quill asked, obviously clueless.

"You're just _so nice _to me." his voice was shaking now.

Quill looked at him, confused. Sure, he had felt a little different around Kaoru since what happened yesterday but that didn't mean he wasn't still going to be nice to him. He liked Kaoru, just not in that way. The kid was like the little brother he's always wanted but never could have. He wouldn't wish his father on anyone.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Quill asked.

"I want you to be _angry a_t me. I want you to hit me a few times, push me into a wall, call me a few names. It's better than this artificial niceness." Kaoru argued.

"Well, that's not me." he stated.

"Listen, I don't want your pity." Kaoru lamented.

"_I don't pity you._" Quill seethed while grabbing him by the wrists and pushing him against a wall. Kaoru drank in the anger.

"That's more like it." he purred seductively.

Quill let go of him instantly as if Kaoru had actually burned him and looked down, trying to gauge the severity of the situation. There was a long moment, before he said, "This really isn't like you, Kaoru. Is something going on?"

_Everything _was going on. Because the truth of the matter is, Kaoru had something that was tugging at the back of his mind, bothering him for a while.

How ironic was it that the twin who was given up for adoption last was the twin with the nightmares?

That was all Kaoru could think about. Quill had been a part of his superficial thoughts, but that one thought was just an undercurrent to everything.

_Hikaru wanted to find their father. __**Hikaru, **_he reminded himself once again.

_Maybe Hikaru was the lucky one. He got away before…_

"I don't want to find Paul Spector." Kaoru said, nearing tears, "Because I…I think he did something to me. Something bad."

All pretenses dropped right then, as Quill grabbed the younger teen in for a hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm disgusting. I'm sorry." Kaoru kept apologizing for his behavior, and Quill was shushing him like a parent consoling their child.

He could relate because he had daddy issues, too.

* * *

><p>Tamaki was on the subway, with a pout on his face and a large red mark on his right cheek.<p>

He had been at his job at Abercrombie, simply helping one of the customers when he noticed she had really pretty eyes.

"Can I just say that your eyes are the deep, calming color of the midnight sky?" he went closer to gaze at them.

"OH, HELL NAH!" the woman shrieked, and then hit him in the face with her purse.

No one had really taught him that it was unacceptable to carry host club behavior outside of Japan.

_I hate working, _he thought, _I'll settle for being rich, thank you very much._

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Quill and Kaoru were laughing their heads off.<p>

"And she instantly lost interest in me the moment she found out I wet the bed until I was eleven." Quill said.

"NO!" Kaoru gushed.

"_Yes!_" he insisted, "That's when I figured out being honest wasn't exactly the best thing to be. That's when I understood politicians lie because they have to, sometimes."

"So why do you rally against them?" Kaoru questioned.

"Because they're fucking psycho." Quill reasoned.

Just then Bernadette arrived, reminding Kaoru that he had five minutes left to get ready, only to discover he made no attempt to clean himself up.

"Kaoru, come on. This is a huge lead in the case. We can't afford to mess this up." Bernadette reasoned.

Just when Quill thought Kaoru was going to erupt, explaining that he gave no fucks about Paul Spector, he actually got up and began to get ready.

He was about to say something, but then Kaoru shot him a look that said, "Don't."

And Quill knew that when Kaoru shot people those looks, he was nothing less than serious.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_ **Kaoru meets Thom Berry next chapter.

Btw, I'd like to point out that bed-wetting is a sign of physical abuse in children. So, even though that was Quill telling a joke, it implies something more serious and menacing. I wanted to make that clear for people who aren't aware of the symptoms.

Have a great day. Be appreciative of your family this holiday season. And, if you're tolerating any kind of abuse, tell someone. Don't put up with anyone's harm, becase everyone is worth more than that.

Happy holidays,

Your New Best Friend.


	10. You Are My Pup

**"_Now you'll listen up. You are my pup; I beat you up in every way and when I speak to you, you answer true. I'll make you black and blue."_**

_-Love Is Pain, The Runaways_

* * *

><p>Things have changed lately between Quill and Kaoru. Quill wasn't sure what to make of it.<p>

To Quill, Kaoru was dear friend, yet lately he regarded him as a poor, delusional child. Whenever Kaoru made advances, he scolded him like an owner would scold a pet. He found it adorable yet wrong, like how an owner feels whenever their pet eats something they shouldn't, or brings in stray things into the house.

And he felt bad for feeling that way. He didn't want to be cruel; he didn't wish to break a heart.

"What do you do when someone insists on flirting with you and just won't take a hint that you're…not into them." Quill asked Bernadette as she typed away at her computer.

Without even looking at him, or any lull in her typing, she responded, "Are we talking about Kaoru? I thought he was a bit embarrassed to be around you."

"How'd you know it was Kaoru still?" he asked.

"Because, he's the only one crazy enough to love you." she replied.

"But you love me."

"Of course." she said. Their love was different. It was such common knowledge that it need not be said. It was just implied. It punctuated every sentence, and lingered long after every gaze. No one's tested the theory, but some suspected it would last after death.

Love in its purest form. The love of two friends against the rest of the world.

"How have you dealt with admirers in the past?" he asked.

"I haven't _had _any." she replied, not even a hint of remorse in her voice.

"But you're gorgeous." he said.

"Don't make me blush." she said in a monotonous voice, still typing all the while. This made him chuckle.

"But…I don't think he likes me as much as he thinks he does. I think he's using me as a distraction. This whole _situation _seems to be bothering him." Quill said.

Then he explained it. The fact that Kaoru had vicious nightmares left from his past that his twin didn't suffer from and that very same twin wanted to dig up that past. Most would leave it buried. But Kaoru was selfless, and wanted to offer his brother closure.

"I don't know what happened all those years ago. I don't know what he was exposed to, if he was abused or if he has a mental illness. All I know is that I don't think it's fair to ask him to look into it. That must be frightening."

_But nothing is more frightening than a question mark._

"Since when do you care about the problems of petty rich people?" Bernadette asked, amusement in her voice.

"Since I realized the only thing separating us were the number of zeros at the end of our paychecks." he replied, honestly.

"Hmmm. Sounds like you've had a break-through."

"Without your help." he added.

"One day you won't need me."

"The day I die."

"…don't say things like that."

* * *

><p>"<em>Are you gay?<em>" Zebra asked Kyoya with a straight face. It seemed _everyone _was slightly gay, if her radar was correct.

"No, why?" he responded quickly. _Too quickly._

"Because you got all hot and bothered when Kaoru put on his little…outfit today." she reminded him.

Kyoya almost laughed. Almost. Why did Zebra have to be so perceptive over such unimportant things, yet she couldn't see things that were right in front of her?

"Listen, it's not what you think…" he started, but she cut him off.

"THAT YOU'RE GAY FOR KAORU." she practically yelled, and he put his hand over her mouth.

_This is a lively one. Almost like Tamaki when we first met. Oh dear, I feel a headache coming on, _he thought.

"Yeah. I mean, no. I'm not. If I tell you something, will it stay between us?" he asked.

She licked his hand and he let go, looking at it with disgust.

"Probably not." she replied.

She won award of the year for her honesty. Kyoya hadn't told anyone, aside from Tamaki, the huge secret that he was about to unveil. And if he made the mistake of telling Zebra, it would probably get around in less than a day to anyone who had a functioning eardrum. But he would take that chance. You could say, metaphorically, Kyoya was coming out of the closet…okay, bad choice of words. He was…emerging from the behind the curtains. There. That would work.

"I have gymnophobia." he said.

"Now, I don't like gym class either, but I don't see what that's got to do with anything…"

"No, no, no. It means I'm afraid of naked bodies, you twat." Kyoya had adapted to British slang ever since he started conversing with Zebra more out of sheer boredom.

"You're…"

"Afraid of naked bodies, yes."

"…"

"…"

"HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME HAHAHA HOW WILL YOU HAVE LITTLE EVIL KYOYA BABIES NOW IF YOU DON'T LIKE NAKED PEOPLE?"

Everyone in the lobby turned to look at them. He smiled a painful smile.

"That's why father doesn't want me to inherit our company. I'd have no one to pass it down to." Kyoya explained.

Zebra stopped laughing, all of sudden feeling a bit guilty. As funny as it was, she could see why having a fear of naked people could be such a huge obstacle. It was like putting a wall between yourself and the rest of the world. You couldn't get too close to someone, because getting close to someone meant love, and relationships, and eventually, sex. And sex was a very difficult activity to partake in while clothed.

Not to mention locker rooms, swimming pools, doctor's appointments, health class. Showing Kyoya the birth video must not have been a fun experience for anyone involved.

She had to stifle her giggle at that thought.

But it had to get lonely.

"So, if I took off my shirt what would be your reaction?" Zebra asked.

"I'd probably break out into a horrid sweat. Possibly walk away, find a secluded area, and cry for a bit." he admitted.

"But that's everyone's reaction!" Quill called as he passed by temporarily to talk to the front desk about him not getting access to Nickelodeon.

"Douche!" she cried.

"I love you more." he stated.

Zebra felt bad for bothering Kyoya to the point of him giving up such a secret. She decided that for once, she'd keep it to herself. But, in the mean-time:

"We're going to cure you." she said.

"What?" he asked.

"You heard me. We will cure you of this gymnophobia!" she declared, but then he shushed her instantly and she grinned apologetically.

* * *

><p>Kaoru sat in the fancy restaurant, sporting a suit that was a bit large on him (one of Quill's) and a heart that he practically wore on his sleeve.<p>

Across the table from him was Mr. Berry, looking completely in his element. Kaoru _should _have been. After all, he _was _rich. But for some reason the wealthy scene in America was far more intimidating than it was in Japan.

It reminded him of a time a certain businessman offered to move his mother's clothing line to the Americas.

"You think you know fame?" he prompted, "You haven't even _tasted _what it's like until you're famous in America. There, it's the only thing that matters. If you have money and you're beautiful, you get a free pass through life. All we have to do is tell them it's famous and foreign, and they'll adopt your clothing line and make it _huge_."

She had accepted. The project was still in its early stages, but most people knew the Hitachiian name by now.

And to his surprise, some people at this restaurant were sporting his mother's garb. He remembered hearing stories of a young girl, fresh out of college, spending hours sketching and drawing outfits. People called her silly; told her she had her head in the clouds.

But she made it. She got rich and famous, bought a house, married a businessman, and adopted two beautiful twins.

Sometimes, when it was the middle of the night, and Kaoru was kept up by a nightmare, he'd hear his two parents arguing. Sure, all parents argued, but these arguments were different. Their arguments could cost them millions.

When Kaoru saw the dark circles under his mother's eyes, the premature grey hair that's only slightly evident, and the unhealthy thinness of her frame, he wanted to ask her one question.

He wanted to ask her if it was worth it.

These were the thoughts going through his mind as he sat amongst high-society people in a foreign land with a strange man.

He missed his mom. And he was probably causing her more stress than any company could.

"Are you alright?" Mr. Berry asked. Kaoru grinned in reply.

"Ahhh, you were thinking about something." when Kaoru looked at him in confusion he elaborated, "You're father used to get that same look when he was thinking. It's cute on you."

"Why do you talk about him in a past tense?" Kaoru asked, "Is he…"

"No, he's not dead. I made sure of that." Mr. Berry admitted, "I just don't know if I trust you enough to tell you where I hid him."

"And what would make you trust me…?" Kaoru asked, but then regretted it. He saw the way Mr. Berry's eyes lingered on places they shouldn't, like a predator assessing its prey.

And Kaoru would have never thought himself to feel so uncomfortable at the gaze of an admirer. He was a _host _after all.

But there was something _off _about his gaze.

"Mr. Berry, I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea earlier." Kaoru explained, "I'm not, I mean, this _isn't…_" he thought about a shorter way to explain this.

"I _am _a minor." he reminded him.

Mr. Berry seemed to take all of this in with a slimy grin plastered to his face. After Kaoru was done stammering, he decided to interject.

"And when has that ever stopped me before?" Mr. Berry asked.

Kaoru stared at him in horror. And he gathered his things and stood up.

"Thomas Berry, you are a _filthy _being. I can't stand your presence any longer. I'm afraid I'll have to go." Kaoru said before starting to walk away.

As a last thought, he called back, "I don't need to stoop down to low levels. I'll find my father myself."

"If he's alive for that long!" Mr. Berry called back with a chuckle.

Kaoru stopped in his tracks, and briefly considered turning back. Because surely, that was a _threat. _But then he thought better of it. There was no way Kaoru would be suckered into doing anything less than holy, all because of a cleverly placed _bluff._

Because, surely, that's all it is, Kaoru assured himself as he made his way out of the restaurant.

In the taxi cab home he cried. Not for what he did, but for what he _almost _did. Of course, he'd never tell anyone. They'd never let him hear the end of it.

* * *

><p>He walked back into the hotel, mopping the tears off his face with his sleeve. He just knew everyone would be so <em>disappointed <em>in him.

"Back so soon?" Haruhi asked, looking at him in concern. Then she saw his eyes were red.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just a bit windy outside." he explained, and she nodded. She didn't buy it, but she let it slide.

Zebra entered the room she shared with Haruhi, with Kyoya in toe.

"Have you ever looked at porn?" she asked.

Obviously, he shook his head.

"Oh, goody! I'm going to introduce you to-" she stopped when she realized the room was occupied.

Kaoru figured he wouldn't even bother asking what that was all about.

"Back so soon?" Kyoya asked, "Wow. So, any new information?"

"No. You see, I left early." Kaoru explained.

"Why on _earth _would you do that? Berry was our only lead!" Zebra scolded.

"I…felt uncomfortable with the situation." he said.

"Do you know the meaning of team-work, Kaoru? It's putting aside your own personal concerns for the sake of the team." Kyoya reiterated.

Haruhi saw that Kaoru was beating down more and more on himself. She expected there was more to the story than he was letting on.

"Guys, leave him alone." she said, quietly, "It's been a long day for him. I'm sure he's tired."

He walked back to his room, and he found Quill and Bernadette there, playing card games.

"Hey! You're back early." Quill greeted, "How'd it go?"

Kaoru didn't answer, but instead decided to say something else, "Um, Quill? I'm sorry. I realize my behavior has been making you feel uncomfortable. I…can we just go back to how we used to be? Friends?"

Kaoru hadn't realized that he was probably Quill's Mr. Berry. _He _was the creepy one in their case.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You saw something you wanted, and you went for it. I wish I was that brave. And we never stopped being friends."

Kaoru smiled, and went to hug him, but then stopped, "Errr, is it okay if I…?"

"Come here, man!" Quill said, and grabbed him in for a huge bear hug.

Kaoru's heart still panged in its chest every time Quill even acknowledged his existence. But he'd hide it. He'd get over it.

"How precious." Bernadette commented, when Quill stopped and pulled her into the hug as well.

"There's enough love to go around." he said.

* * *

><p>Hikaru had heard that Kaoru had a perfect opportunity to find out things from Mr. Berry, but opted to <em>leave early <em>because he felt _uncomfortable._

Tearing through the hallway, he finally found Kaoru's door, and it was slightly open. He pushed it open the rest of the way and marched in to find Kaoru and his two sappy friends in a group hug.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt this little _party. _But I have something to say to my brother." Hikaru said. He grabbed the younger twin by the collar and grimaced.

"I can't _believe you!_" he shouted at him. Kaoru blinked, eyes starting water.

"You know, in this whole investigation, we haven't asked you for much. They give you _one task _and you screw it up royally. Don't you understand how important this is?" he questioned.

"I…" he started, but Hikaru interrupted me.

"Spare me the sob story. Kaoru, you have a serious problem. In every situation, you always have to be the victim. You always have to get attention. First faking your supposed nightmares, now _this._"

"They're not fake!" Kaoru said, but Hikaru just glared at him in reply.

"Sure they're not. And neither was the time you pulled that stunt at mother's banquet, threatening to kill yourself."

"That was different…"

"Only someone _sick _fakes those things, Kaoru. Someone genuinely ill."

One time when he was thirteen, Kaoru _had _threatened to kill himself at a banquet. But he was hormonal, emotional, going through changes. He didn't mean to cause everyone such distress. And the fact that Hikaru would bring that up years later was just a betrayal.

"I'm…sorry." Kaoru said, and although he tried to hold it back, a tear managed to find its way out.

"And now you're _crying_? Wow, you're so dramatic. I can't even _deal _with you right now. Cry a fucking river, I don't care!" Hikaru said, and then walked out of the room.

Bernadette and Quill looked shell-shocked, having witnessed that whole display.

"Kaoru, don't listen to…" Bernadette started, but Kaoru didn't bother to hear the rest. Because, he realized, Hikaru was _right._

Kaoru was nothing but a selfish brat. He couldn't stand not being the center of attention. He needed to be cared for, to be acknowledged, and to feel loved. And he never felt that way unless all eyes were on him.

He pulled his tie off, took off his dress shirt, and stripped until he was left in boxers. Then he hopped into bed, and pulled the covers over his head.

He heard Quill and Bernadette talking in a low tone, possibly about him. But he ignored it. Because he _knew _he was wrong, and he didn't want anyone telling him otherwise.

He couldn't bare it if someone were to try to be nice to him at this point.

He slipped into the abyss and was faced by the nightmares again. They were back.

And he _welcomed _them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This chapter was by _far _the easiest to write. The words just came _pouring _out. I'm not usually one to update daily, but this chapter was long overdue. It's like, everything was just a giant build-up to get to this point, or something. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Sincerely,

Your New Best Friend


	11. Scarred Hands

_"I can't believe God put us on this Earth to be ordinary."_

_-Lou Holtz_

* * *

><p>Kaoru woke up with a pounding headache and feet of led. Groaning, he rolled out of the covers to see that it was early morning. He heard the shower going, and saw that Bernadette was the one missing. Sighing, he was about to go back under the covers when-<p>

"What does 'scarred hands' mean?" Quill asked.

Those words shocked Kaoru out of his sleepy stupor. Those words sounded too close to-

"They have something to do with your nightmares, don't they? You repeated that phrase several times. You've also said 'Let me go', and 'evil' is a popular word. There were also a few other words I couldn't make out, but I've written them down to the best of my ability." Quill was about to go on but Kaoru stopped him.

"Don't worry yourself about this. Hikaru was right. The nightmares aren't real. I've been faking them all along for attention. I'm really sor-"

"Bullshit. I know fear, Kaoru. You're _terrified _of something and if you don't want to tell us then we'll find out for ourselves."

Kaoru took a moment to be appreciative of Quill's kindness. It was kind of like building a memorial. He enjoyed remembering things, taking a mental picture, before they disappeared forever.

"I'm just another charity case to you." Kaoru mumbled, before pulling the sheets over his head.

Quill groaned in frustration, "You know that's not fair. We've both put up with each other's crap for the past few days. I don't do that for just anyone, you know."

"Stop flirting with me." Kaoru deadpanned, still under the sheets. Quill laughed.

"You need Jesus." he responded.

Just then Bernadette emerged from the bathroom, towel wrapped around her torso, and began to rummage through the drawers. As she did this, she began to speak.

"I'm going in to speak to Thomas Berry today. Alone."

Kaoru hadn't even told anyone what happened. But Bernadette was highly observant.

"What exactly was it that he did? Depending on the degree of it, I might have to call the cops." she said.

"Nothing, really. He was just being very suggestive, and he didn't really want to tell me much without…errr, _something _in return. I felt uncomfortable, so I left."

Bernadette breathed a sigh of relief. Although that in itself was bad, she thought it was a lot worse. She thought she was going to have to file a lawsuit for inappropriate conduct with a minor. Statutory rape. Something along those lines.

But just the fact that it _almost _came to that was enough to get her blood boiling.

"You have to understand I had _no idea_ he was that weird." she explained hurriedly as she pulled on a blazer over her top.

He brushed her concerns away. He was well aware that she'd never knowingly put him into such an uncomfortable situation.

He briefly considered telling her about the threats Mr. Berry made to his father's well-fare, but considered them just that: threats. Empty words. _Surely _he wouldn't act on them. There was something keeping him from killing Paul Spector for all these years. And that something surely hadn't disappeared.

_You're father used to get that same look when he was thinking._

Why would Mr. Berry remember that after all these years?

No one really took the time to study a person that closely. People did not care about each other _that _much. Unless…

_No. No way. It couldn't be. But what if..._

"Thomas Berry is in love." Kaoru stated out loud, "Thomas Berry is in love with…my _Dad._"

The two occupants of the room stopped and stared at him for a moment. He then saw the wheels in both of their minds begin to turn, as they slowly worked their way through the puzzle, pieced things together.

"Holy…" Quill remarked, trailing off.

"Well, this changes things." Bernadette said.

* * *

><p>"You don't think you were a bit hard on him?" Tamaki asked, getting ready for his shift at the mall.<p>

"You don't think it's been a bit hard on me all these years?" he exploded, seeming to have these pent up emotions for a while, "I've had to deal with his antics since before I can even remember. Do you know what happened the day I won the science fair? Kaoru contracted pneumonia. The day that cute girl from 2A asked me out? Kaoru fainted in homeroom before I could even reply. The day I-"

Tamaki interrupted him, "Well, you don't think it's hard to be second best all the time?"

"But, see, you don't get it: _I was second best. _Not him. Never perfect Kaoru Hitachiian. He could _do no wrong._"

"Well, the grass is always greener on the other side." Tamaki quoted.

"Boss, what does that have to do with anything?" Hikaru said, still steamed but not as much, stopping in confusion.

Tamaki smiled in reply.

_It's just crazy old me. Ignore it, _he thought.

"Well, anyway-" then Hikaru went on to talk about himself.

And Tamaki listened, interjected every now and then with wisdom, and being shot down instantly.

But he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

><p>"So, what are the worst possible scenarios you can imagine with a naked person?" Zebra asked, notepad in one hand; quill poised in the other. She even took on glasses to help with the illusion, and set up the hotel chairs in Kyoya's room to look like an office.<p>

"Naturally, coming into contact with one." Kyoya answered.

She nodded and began to scribble down things.

"So, you have no sexual desires?" Zebra asked, trying her hardest not to burst out laughing.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not." she smiled.

"Well…kind of. It's weird to describe. Yes, I've lusted after a person before. But I've never felt a desire to see that person naked." he explained.

"But it's really hard to get freaky when fully clothed." Zebra said.

"So I've been told." he responded.

Kyoya was fully aware that it was ridiculous. There was absolutely no way that Zebra could possibly cure his gymnophobia. But, at the same time, he held a small hope that maybe this was exactly what he needed. So he endured through everything, and answered all of her questions accordingly.

"What would be the second worst scenario?" she asked.

"A naked person touching me." he responded.

She wrote that down. They went down the list until they got to his smallest fear.

"Someone being partially clothed, but barely." Kyoya said.

"So what about beaches?" she asked.

"Painful, but I can tolerate it." he reasoned.

She hummed in understanding, then closed the notebook.

"Well, you have to look at it this way. People are naked under their clothes." she told him in a half-joking manner.

But the truth was, he had never really thought about it that way before.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Mr. Berry. Thank you for seeing me today." Bernadette said, sitting down across from him in his office.<p>

"My pleasure. I had a delightful dinner with Kaoru last night. We talked about a lot of _interesting _things." Mr. Berry said.

_So I've heard, _Bernadette thought angrily, but kept her composure.

"I'm glad to hear that. But, Mr. Berry, let's not beat around the bush. You need to tell us what you know. Urgently. Before I am forced to do something that both of us may regret." Bernadette said in a slow, measured tone.

Mr. Berry began to chuckle, and it sent a shiver down Bernadette's spine. She wasn't taking him seriously. No one ever took her seriously. A girl her size? Oh, please.

"Was that a threat, child? I'm afraid you don't understand who I am. I am-"

"I don't _care _who you are!" she erupted, her voice squeeking slightly at the end. Her hands flew to her mouth, covering them in surprise. But, something told her to continue. He stared at her. She had his attention.

"Listen, sir. We both know you're not really the most holy of men. There is probably a special circle in hell for people like you. And what would happen if any of this information were to get out?" she asked.

"What information?" he questioned, smug grin still plastered on his face.

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe that you sleep with _minors. _Or that you set out forces to murder people for _money._" her hands were shaking. She was clutching the edges of her chair with such force; her knuckles were white.

"Me and half of the business world." he commented nonchalantly, "Now, is that all you've got? I thought it would be more interesting than this. You can leave now." he gestured to the door.

"No. I won't leave. Not until you admit it to yourself." she said.

"Guards!" and two men came and lifted her out of the chair.

"Admit it! Admit it! You're hiding him! You're hiding him because-"

"I'm going to have to ask you to calm down." said one of the men restraining her. She gave him a glare and continued.

"You're hiding him because you love him!" Bernadette said, but she was already being pushed out of the office. The last horrified look she saw on Mr. Berry's face before they turned the corner was priceless, though.

* * *

><p>"I think you and Kaoru need to talk." Tamaki said to Hikaru, hoping that maybe this would be the one time that he would listen to him.<p>

"I have nothing to say." Hikaru responded.

_Well, that's unusual, _Tamaki thought. But he also knew it was a lie. Hikaru had a lot of things to say, but he was afraid to say them. For once in his life, Hikaru was exercising something called self-control.

"I know you want to find your Dad. Trust me, _I know_. But that doesn't mean that you should blatantly disregard the family you already have. You're pushing Hikaru farther and farther away, and your _parents _that _raised _you are probably really worried. Family isn't about DNA, but about who you grew up with, who loves you."

Tamaki glared at the twin, trying to see what effect his lecture might have had on him. Hikaru was looking at the ground, and he could tell that he was grinding his teeth together in frustration. He wanted to tell him that wasn't healthy, but decided now wasn't the time.

"Listen, boss. I know you think you're aware of my situation, but you're not. You don't know what it's like. I get that they're supposed to love me, and I'm supposed to love them. That's what families do. But I've felt-" he stopped, and seemed frustrated with himself for doing so. He was not ready to share these private thoughts with anyone else.

The thought that if people didn't feel obligated to, no one would love him. The idea that maybe if he found his _real _family, he'd find something else too. He was not sure what. But he knew it would be something important; something _vital _that's been missing for quite some time.

It was infuriating. Frustrating. It made him feel so much pent up _anger _at everyone and everything, but underlying was a sickly kind of sadness.

It was like missing someone you've never even met.

But he didn't know the words or have the patience to describe any of this to Tamaki. And Tamaki did not pester him.

"Talk to him. Just listen to me, this once." Tamaki urged.

"I always listen to you." Hikaru said indignantly.

That earned him a laugh.

* * *

><p>Zebra watched as Quill was getting ready to go to a wine tasting that his friend, Lawrence invited him to. It was the first social event that he bothered to actually go to in a while. Zebra was sure that he had gotten numerous invitations, since he was the sort that everyone wanted at their parties, but he declined most of them. He was so dedicated to helping these kids, Zebra realized.<p>

He was _always _helping someone. This was a fact that she had accepted about him for a while, now. Yet, everytime she realized how obsessed he was with helping others it worried her. It went from being an endearing quality to a fatal flaw. Because he never stopped to consider _his _needs. _His _wants. Surely, Quill had dreams like everyone else. It had to be more than this.

She had read a story about that long ago. About a man who went through a forest, and kept being stopped by needy travelers. One needed shoes, so he gave it to them. The other needed clothing, so he gave that away. A blind man came by so he gave him his eyes. And it went on and on until there was nothing left of the man but some arbitrary body part. She didn't recall it clearly—thank heavens for that.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all day? I know I'm gorgeous but-" he started jokingly, but she interrupted him.

"My mom called." His eyebrow raised inquisitively, "She wants to know how the search for schools are going. And if I'm sleeping okay."

"What did you say?"

"I lied, of course."

Quill laughed at that, but it was a nervous laughter. Like he knew what was coming next. Anticipating the question, he already began to grimace.

"What are we doing, Quill? Seriously. What's the game plan?" Zebra asked.

"I never plan, darling. You should know that by now." he smiled charmingly as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. He looked stiff in it.

For some reason she was not as amused with this response as she should have been. She found herself wanting Quill to be serious, like a normal person. And she told him this.

"You're not here because I'm normal." he reminded her, "You're here because you hate Bath and wanted an adventure."

And not so long ago that might have been true. But she looked at her surroundings, took them in; digested them. And although all seemed frivolous, she realized the truth: she could not picture keeping up this lifestyle forever.

And whenever she tried to picture Quill old; wrinkled with grand-children, she simply couldn't.

He had no future, she realized. He would probably end up dying young for a noble cause. And for a while she thought that's what she wanted for herself.

Her biggest fear was time; old age and how it would change her into a feeble being. How it would turn her into nothing. But somewhere down the line, her mind was changed. She's not sure by whom or what.

"Bath may be boring," she started, "But it's where my mum is. I think I'm heading back, soon. Care to accompany me?"

"Too busy. I have things to do here." No speech. Short simple, and straight to the point. All the while looking in the mirror, never sparing her a glance.

"You can't single-handedly change the world." she reminded him.

_So don't get yourself killed trying._

"Awwww. Do you actually care?" he asked, finally turning to face her, pouting as if mocking her.

He put on such a good charade. There were probably only two people on earth who could see through it.

And Zebra was not one of them.

"No, I don't care." she said, angry that he was mocking her, showing no sign of even missing her, "Now book me a flight to Bath, you twat."

"I'll get Bernadette right on it." he said, a smile on his face that looked like it was crudely carved on.

Later on that day Zebra was on her way to the airport, and Quill was at a party sipping wine, and not tasting any of it.

* * *

><p>Kaoru lay awake in the middle of the night, reading a book to keep himself occupied. Bernadette was with Zebra at the airport and Quill out to some event with his friends. It had been a while since he had a room completely to himself. He was excited at first, but then the excitement wore off when he realized that he had virtually nothing to do.<p>

A soft knock came on the door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Come in!" he called, hanging upside down from his bed with the book in front of him, his hair sticking out in weird, gravity defying directions.

The person walked in, but all he saw were shoes from where he was. Taking the time to flip right side up, he realized who the person in his room once.

"What are _you _doing here, Hikaru?" he asked.

"I'm here to talk to you." his twin answered.

"Well, I don't want to talk with you." Kaoru said, arms crossed in finalty.

"Why do you have to be such a-" he started, but stopped himself. _Deep breaths. Take deep breaths, _"Anyways, I just wanted to say that I forgive you for being a pansy and managing to screw up our biggest lead."

Kaoru began to chuckle, but it was not in merriment, "_You _forgive _me_? Wow. How noble of you."

"Listen, I know I was a bit harsh but you have to admit that you were wrong." Hikaru said.

"_I _was wrong? You don't even _know _what happened! You're just such a judgmental prick, sometimes!"

"There you go, being overly dramatic again." Hikaru countered, "They should have sent me. I would have done a better job."

Kaoru totally wanted to debunk that statement. He wanted to yell at him, asking Hikaru just exactly how far he would have gone just to find a stupid, pitiful excuse for a man not because _he _cared, but because his brother needed to for some kind of stupid closure.

But he kept all of that to himself.

"Get out." he said, softly. Hikaru stood there, crossed between wanting to hug his brother and wanting to punch him, " I said g_et out_!"

"I'm not leaving until you admit-"

"_I'm. Not. Admitting. Anything." _Kaoru stressed, close enough to his brother's face that he could see how each word made him flinch; a slight quiver that couldn't have been noticed from across the room.

"I hate you." Hikaru said. And he meant it. But the words did not evoke the kind of reaction he was looking for. He expected Kaoru to explode in rage, return the sentiment.

But he didn't do any of these things.

"I know." Kaoru said, expression softening.

Hikaru left. Kaoru lay awake, and tried to continue reading. But the words just swam across the page, not meaning much of anything. He shut the book and just thought about things.

He thought of the question Quill asked him earlier.

_What does scarred hands mean?_

Kaoru saw a man with scarred hands in his nightmares. He wasn't sure if the man was ever real at some point, or just a figment of his imagination. But he knew that those scars represented just how ugly a human being can get. It was the contents of the soul, projected outward.

Maybe Hikaru was right. Maybe Kaoru was overly dramatic. Maybe his nightmares were just his subconscious gone awry. But they felt so _real_.

Each and every time it felt like the very first time. It never got old, never grew less terrifying.

He dozed off for an instance, seeing those scarred hands come for him. Then all of a sudden he couldn't breathe. He was choking and gasping and crying for help but no one would come for him. No one.

Every time Kaoru drifted off to sleep, he died.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_ **This had no excuse taking as long as it did. In my defense, I've been busy with theatre and midterms and all that good stuff. But here you go. Not a very action-oriented chapter. I have a tendency to delve into character thoughts more than focusing on actual action. Idk why. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter.

Sincerely,

Your New Best Friend


	12. Homogingerphobes

Quill came back from the wine tasting feeling invigorated, inspired, and slightly buzzed. He had a glow about him; cheeks flushed and hair disheveled. It was with great enthusiasm that he entered the hotel room.

"I had the _greatest _time. You really should have come. A lot of people were asking for you. I guess they all wanted a repeat of last month. Remember, the time when you-" he stopped short when he saw that Bernadette looked absolutely distraught.

"Hey, Bernie. What's the matter?" he said gently, kneeling down to meet her at eye level, since she was sitting.

"I've just been…thinking lately." she said. His heart froze.

"See, that's your problem. You spend too much time _thinking_. Just _do it._" he said, giving her his usual speech with even greater bravado than she was accustomed to.

She didn't respond. She just looked down as if she had some dirty little secret. He saw right through her, like he always had. Even when she was little.

He fondly recalled the first time he met her. She had been the smallest girl in their grade, but also the smartest. She was running some stupid campaign to save the bats. She had some weird obsession with them, and often got picked on for it.

What could he say? Quill had a soft spot for the underdog. He showed up at her stand one day and started giving orders.

"Switch those two signs! You need something attention grabbing. Hmmmm, lights. We need more lights. I could bring my Christmas lights from home…" he said quietly, and then suddenly snapped at her, "I sure hope you're writing this down!"

Happy that she had finally been given direction, yet still shocked at the sudden appearance of it, she squeaked out, "Y-Yes, sir!" and pulled out a notepad in compliance.

Of course over the years Quill had become less of a bossy dick wad, and Bernadette had gained more self-respect and leadership skills. But both still looked upon the early days with smiles on their faces; even though they were flawed.

"I need to be honest with you." she said. In a world of lies they were always truthful with eachother.

"And I need to be honest with you." he agreed.

"You first."

"I miss her like mad." he said, adopting her British dialect, "And it's only been a few hours."

"And I'm the one who convinced her to leave." Bernadette replied, holding up her end of the bargain.

They stared at each other, and Quill felt slightly portrayed. But he guessed it was for the best. Zebra had a loving mother back in Bath; and a future. There wasn't much love waiting back home for the two of them. The distinction had been obvious..

"She had been pondering it for a while, but I guess I pushed her over the edge." she elaborated, "Are you angry?"

'Yes." he answered in a snipped tone.

"With me?"

"No."

He glanced over at Kaoru, who seemed to be missing most of the conversation, opting for a fitful sleep instead.

"How's he doing?" Quill asked, concered.

"Apparently he got into another argument with Hikaru." she told him.

"Honestly, these two need to realize one thing. They need each other." he replied, sighing.

Somewhere Hikaru was tossing and turning in bed, simply itching at the thought of _needing _anyone.

* * *

><p>Zebra arrived at the airport, and was greeted by her overly enthusiastic mother, as well as her longtime friend Zayne.<p>

"Zebra, you have to spill. Immediately." Zayne probed as they went to go buy food at one of the airport stands—simply an excuse to separate from her overbearing mother so they could gossip.

Zayne and Zebra were gossip whores, who had met due to the fact that they shared initials: Zebra Johnson and Zayne Jackson.

"There's nothing to spill." she replied mischievously, knowing that he was simply searing at the fact that she refused to share.

"Look, you and I both know that the last time I talked to you, you were with some bloke named Quill. Who the hell names their son that, anyway? Some hippie? I guarantee you his parents were major junkies." he went off on a rant.

"You're in no position to judge people." Zebra reminded him, referring to his newly dyed black hair with white stripes.

"I was feeling nostalgic." he said, nudging her playfully. She swatted away at him.

"Very funny. Listen, I don't want to talk about it."

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh." he said dismissively.

There was something about his tone that bothered her, made her uneasy. The way he had just dropped it like that. "Oh", he said, and then moved on. He _never _does that. And she knew he was playing right into his slimy little claws but she did not care because she knew that "Oh" would haunt her unless she addressed it.

"…Well what the fuck is _that _supposed to mean?"

"…nothin'." he said again, pausing to order a vanilla bean cappuccino, "Want anything?"

"Zayne Lee Jackson, you will tell me right now or else I will set fire to everything in your closet." she said in her most threatening voice.

"Not with me inside of it. No pun intended." he remarked.

"Then you'd literally be flaming," she reveled in the expression on his face, "No pun intended."

He pouted. "I liked you better when you were someplace foreign."

"I liked you better when I talked to you on the computer and couldn't hear your voice." she said quickly. Being with Quill had taught her how to be wittier.

The two began to walk side by side, steps syncing almost immediately. They were like a well-oiled, fashionable machine.

In the span of two hours she got her luggage situated and was in her old neighborhood, facing her old house.

"Welcome to Bath," Zayne said in a grand voice, "Home of the Losers and the Freaks."

"You forgot to mention fashion-impaired." she added.

Home sweet home. But it felt like something was missing. Something approximately six feet tall with a craving for rebellion.

* * *

><p>Kaoru had decided a long time ago that he was going to spend most of his life being unhappy. And he had been completely okay with that.<p>

But then he had known happiness and purpose for a little while.

It's like giving a blind man sight and taking it away again. It does nothing but leaves him in a familiar world of darkness. But the difference? He's left longing for the light.

The nightmares had started to get better, than they just got loads worse. And the worst part? His own brother didn't believe that anything was happening to him. And if a person chooses not the believe something, then it ceases to exist. And how can one treat a problem that isn't real?

Kaoru found himself getting sad over imaginary things, and that made him even more frustrated.

Hikaru, on the other hand, devoted all of his energy to finding their Dad. A week had passed by and he still hadn't said a word to Kaoru. He just left early in the morning, and didn't come back until late at night. Sometimes he'd look triumphant but other times he'd look defeated. And Kaoru couldn't help but think that triumph was nothing if you had no one to celebrate with and defeat wasn't so bad if you had a shoulder to cry on.

But Hikaru kept it all in. Typical.

There was one night where he practically heard his brother sobbing in the other room. And that was scary because he'd never heard Hikaru properly cry since they were little.

He wanted to go in there and say something; anything to make it stop.

But then he heard Tamaki say something that he couldn't make out and all of a sudden the sobs turned into genuine laughter and the two were sharing this moment without Kaoru.

_Hikaru doesn't need me, _Kaoru decided.

* * *

><p>"So what have you been doing to pass the time?" Zebra asked.<p>

"Sleepingwithyourmum…" Zayne mumbled.

"Oh my god, Zayne, that's not funny when she's right in the other room." she remarked.

"I'm not ashamed of my love, damn it!" he said, and then changed the topic as he often does, "So, speaking of love, you need to tell me more about Quill…"

"I don't love Quill. Trust me on that much." she said sincerely.

"Really now? So you mean to say you're not having an affair with a hot American?" Zayne asked.

"Right."

"_Do you like it when I talk like this?" _Zayne asked, lowering his voice and talking in an American accent, "_Does it get you all hot and bothered?"_

She laughed and threw pillows at him, "Two strikes. One more strike and I'm coming after your coupon stash with a lighter."

He laughed, "See if I care? I have a separate hiding place for the important ones. The ones you know about are decoys so my mum won't steal from my real stash."

"…I know where you keep the ones for Bath and Body Works…"

"I'll kill you in your sleep."

* * *

><p>"Do you think she's having fun in Bath?" Quill asked self-consciously, "Do you think she likes it better down there?"<p>

"That's a paradox; you can't have fun in Bath." Bernadette replied dismissively.

"Quite right." he said, and then began to examine his dress shirt, "Do you think I'm overdressed for this occasion?"

"No." she replied.

"Since when did you become a self-conscious teenage girl?" Hikaru asked rudely.

_Since someone walked out on me for the first time since Mom left, _Quill thought but didn't say. it may have been inappropriate for the situation

The two had followed Hikaru and Tamaki on an outing to meet with another potential lead to finding Paul Spector. Through a lot of digging up and a lot of conversations in what Kyoya liked to call the Underworld—otherwise known as sleazy bars and strip joints—Hikaru had been told that there was a person who had seen Paul as recently as two years ago. And that person was Dorris Tate.

Otherwise known as the famous female boxer. How his Dad had connections to all of these people were beyond him.

But he had found out that she was holding some banquet at the very hotel they were staying in. And after Tamaki sweet talked the security; they were in.

It was really _that _simple.

And that's why Hikaru had no sympathy for Kaoru being weak and lazy and lacking the spine to go after the facts. It was almost as if he didn't even want to find their Dad. He was probably in his room sulking somewhere, dreading the fact that all attention wasn't on him.

As always.

He made his way through the crowd, determined to find Ms. Tate and ask her a series of well-rehearsed questions. Just when he spotted her; he saw that she was being chatted up by someone else.

Someone tall, lean, with ginger hair, and the greenest eyes on this side of the equator.

"Kaoru, is it? What a lovely name! You look exactly like someone I used to know." Ms. Tate said warmly.

"I get that a lot." he replied with a smile, "Dorris—may I call you Dorris?—I actually came here tonight to ask you something very important." he said.

"Shoot." she replied with a smile. She had a charm about her. Southern hospitality? She _had _been raised in Arkansas, after all.

"Would you happen to know anything about the—"

"What are _you _doing here?" Kaoru's question was cut off by his twin's.

"Oh my stars, there's two of them!" Ms. Tate commented allowed, awe-struck.

"None of your business." Kaoru replied, and then turned back to Ms. Tate, "Anyway…"

Hikaru was literally seething. Of course it was his business! Kaoru had no right to invite himself to this party. Although, Hikaru did the exact same thing…but still!

"No, we're going to settle this here and now!" Hikaru said, "I am tired of your apathetic attidude. I have been for days. And now you want to act like you want to _help?_"

"Are we really doing this now?" Kaoru whispered, and flashed Ms. Tate a nervous smile.

Ms. Tate felt very dizzy trying to keep up with the two of them. She had gotten punched in a match earlier that day, and she thought she was simply seeing double.

"Yes, we are." Hikaru affirmed, dragging Kaoru off to the side.

Meanwhile Tamaki was distracting the caterers in a flirtatious manner as Quill and Bernadette were shoveling food into her purse and his murse, oblivious to the drama.

"What's your issue?" Kaoru said.

"You. You're my issue! This was supposed to be _my _break through. So why the hell are you here?" Hikaru asked.

"Maybe to _help _you? Nothing fucking pleases you, does it?"

Just then a man in a security suit walked up to the two of them.

"I'm going to have to ask you two to step outside for a moment. A few guests have mad e complaints." the man said politely.

"Who? I want to know who the made complaints! Was it you?" Hikaru asked, pulling in a random man by his tie. The man shook his head vigorously.

"Hika, calm down." Kaoru said, giving a look to the security guard that said _I know what this looks like but we are not related._

"No, I will not calm down! They probably have something against gay people," he said, gesturing to his brother, "Or gingers. They are prejudiced against gingers. We have souls, I swear."

"Hikaru, somehow I hardly think-"

"Shut up. I'm trying to defend you from the homogingerphobes." Hikaru replied, and then hiccupped

"…have you been drinking?"

"I was nervous to talk to Ms. Tate so Quill convinced me a few shots would loosen me up."

Kaoru rolled his eyes. He'd get the big lug back later. That would explain why Hikaru was actually speaking to him now, albeit angrily.

He made sure his brother cooperated as they were escorted out of the party through a back door.

"Sorry, sir. We won't be any more trouble." Kaoru said, apologizing for the umpteenth time.

"Oh, I know you won't…" the security guard said.

"What's that suppos-" but before Kaoru could finish he was hit over the head, and all he saw was black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_That took a ridiculous amount of time to write. I had the first half done forever and at one point I considered even dropping the story. But replies from you guys have convinced me to continue. I was so happy I whipped this up in record time!_

_Love you guys,  
><em>

_Your New Best Friend  
><em>


End file.
